Death, Decay, and Diffindo
by He-Who-Shall-Live
Summary: Things were looking good for Harry Potter. His nemesis was defeated, the war was won. Everything was slowly getting better until, on a routine Auror training trip to the states, the last Potter falls into an inexplicable coma. Now, eight months later, Harry awakens to a shattered world. Picking up the pieces, Harry sets out to find answers and, more importantly, his friends.
1. The Awakening

**A/N**

**Hello guys! Honestly, this is my first A/N in several years so I don't know exactly what to say here. First and foremost I would like to thank you for reading! This is my first Harry Potter and Walking Dead crossover and I am really looking forward to the possibilities for this story.**

**I actually got inspired to write this by another HP/WD crossover called Bad Blood written by uoduck. His member id is 2943093 so take a look at it!**

**I am going to have a poll on my profile page to see if people thing this is good enough to continue. I haven't written a story in a great while and I could be too rusty. Better to let the people decide!**

**So, as always, please Read and Review. Constructive criticism help the authors get better. Praise just makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. :P**

**Special shout out:**

**GaleSynch **

**Uoduck**

**Thanks for the support guys! And without further interruption, here is the story!**

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><p><em>'Get up Freak!<em>' his aunt yelled.

Harry woke with a start. Immediately, he sat up only to grab his chest and abdomen, scrunching his eyes shut in pain.

"Shite!" he rasped through disused vocal cords. He hunched over slightly to relieve the pain in his abdomen, only to cause shocks of pain to shoot through his arms. The years he spent with hunger pains in his cupboard had woven the reflex into his body. That, and the times when Dudley liked to kick him when he was down.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, the green eyed savior of the Wizarding world opened his eyes slightly as the pain began to subside.

_'__Why isn't Aunt Petunia banging on my door?' _He thought with bewilderment. Disorientated, he opened his eyes further to try and peer through the darkness to look at the less than scratchy _something_ covering his legs. While he couldn't make out anything in his cupboard, he knew one thing for sure.

'_These aren't my sheets'_ he thought in confusion. It was only an instant later that he remembered that he hadn't lived in his cupboard for years. Becoming more alert, he snapped his head around, vainly trying to scan the pitch black room. With no idea where he was and no identifiable markers in the darkness, anxiety started to set in. He tried to get up; to simply throw his legs over the edge of what he _assumed_ was a bed, only to find he couldn't. His lethargic limbs refused to obey his brain's commands. Panic began to seep into his mind at that point, his adrenalin responding and pouring through his system.

What he didn't know, what he couldn't know, was that he had been immobile for the past eight months. His magic, drained from keeping his body alive and his body, atrophied from disuse and starving couldn't also stand the sudden surge of his adrenalin. His stomach rumbled rebelliously, either complaining about the hunger or the nausea the pain was causing him, or maybe both. Hungry, confused, in pain, and alarmingly tired, Harry Potter's body did the only thing it could think of.

An instant later, the former Chosen One blacked out once more.

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><p>Sometime later, Harry opened his eyes once more before shutting them just as quick, blocking out the overpowering sun. He drew an arm over his eyes reflexively before hissing in pain and sitting up. Now that there was light, Harry was able to discern where he was. After all, he spent a great deal in places like this over his life.<p>

"Bloody infirmaries" he croaked out painfully. Taking a quick look around, Harry saw that there was relatively little in the room. A chair, a desk, cabinets, some medical machines…but they were all off…and muggle. Confused again, Harry scratched absently at his arm trying to figure out what was going on. A sharp pain where he was scratching brought his gaze down to investigate. Spying several needles with tubes in his arm he narrowed his eyes, tracking the tubes to yet another set of machines right next to his bed.

_'__What is going on? Did someone forget to pay the ruddy bills?'_ he thought, absently removing the needles. He let them clatter on the floor before investigating the area around him.

_'__Bloody hospitals, always hide the blasted thing. If it was for emergencies why did they hide…Ah ha!_' he though in triumph, pulling the call button from beneath his pillows. He held the red colored button aloft before pressing it firmly.

…..

…..

Harry depressed the button with a frown on his face. Pushing and holding it again he looked around for any indicator that it was working. Finding none he started to get irritated, pushing it repeatedly with growing frustration.

_'__Even Hogwarts had an alarm for the beds…what is wrong with this place'_ he thought in disgust before throwing the useless clicker away from him. Taking one last look around, he tried to swing his legs over the hospital bed's edge. Much to his pleasure, he found he was able to move his body more freely than the night before. Being unable to move like that, the few times it had happened after the war, had always brought back memories of the grave yard. He was immensely pleased when he attempted, and was successful, in standing up.

Harry's first destination, now that he was mobile again, was the restroom. He noticed the door labeled 'Bathroom' immediately when he had surveyed the room but that had honestly led to more questions. Walking delicately over and opening the door, he proceeded to relieve himself while thinking on the ramifications of the door sign.

_'__I'm in a Yank hospital? Why would I be here?' _He thought to himself, closing his gown back again. Reaching over, he pushed the plunger on the industrial toilet only to have nothing happen. Frowning again, he jiggled the handle several times before giving up.

_'__No water, no power….this is just ridiculous. The things they do over here'_ he thought with distain. Honestly, who doesn't pay the bills for a hospital's water and power?

Returning to the center of the room, Harry looked around for his next target: His wand. Deciding that the most likely place his wand was stored was the cabinets; he stumbled over before proceeding to open drawers. After opening half the drawers he finally found a bag labeled 'Patient Possessions'. Grinning, he pulled the bag out and headed over to the desk in the corner, his legs feeling more normal with each new step.

Deciding to be unceremonious, he opened the bag and upended its contents all over the desk only to frown slightly. His wand was there, his glasses, as was his Trainee Auror badge and his shrunken trunk necklace and his shoes. His wand holster was also present but so were his robes and muggle street clothes…which were _wrinkled_.

The green eyed teen was sure he had cast the wrinkleproofing charm on his clothes correctly. Hermione had actually been surprised at how well he had swished. It was slightly irksome, which he pointed out to her, the way she had said that. As if he didn't swish and flick Voldemort to the grave! He could swish and flick with the best of them! A quick smack over the head later, courtesy of Hermione, and they had both been laughing.

Grinning to himself again at the memory, he picked up his wand and quickly transfigured a cup before casting **Aguamenti**, filling it with fresh, cool water. Guzzling the first cup, he quickly refilled it before drinking it all down a second time, enjoying the feeling of the water on his parched throat and cracked lips. He felt content for all of thirty seconds before dashing as quickly as he could back into the restroom and heaving.

After heaving several times, expelling nearly all the water he just drank, he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth as he stood up unsteadily. It was then he saw the mirror and, more importantly, the face staring back at him. His eyes opened shock, hardly recognizing his own face. The gaunt, exhausted face eyeing him from the glass pane brought back memories of the war with Voldemort. His friends had looked the same; pale, exhausted, half starved. His body gave an involuntary shudder.

_'__How...how long was I….was I in a coma or something?'_ he thought fearfully as he touched and pulled slightly on his face. It was the only logical reason he could immediately think of that could cause his current state. That, or being chummy with the Dementors of Azkaban. Taking another good look, Harry couldn't stop the amused snort from escaping. Even after however long he was..._unconscious_, he still hadn't been able to grow more than stubble on his chin. Despite everything that was going on, he still frowned at the thought of his facial hair. There was a point where he had considered using a potion, but decided against it at the time. Having the ability to grow facial hair like his friends really was less important than finding Voldemort's soul fragments.

Walking back into the main room, Harry paused to think about his next course of action. Something was very wrong with the Hospital he was in, what with no water or power. Add to that the nagging feeling of _wrongness_ he felt pretty much made up his mind. Proceeding to change into his muggle street clothes, he decided that he really had to get out of the muggle world and back to his friends.

Thinking about his friends caused him to pause tying the laces of his shoe. He had been with Hermione at the International Magical Relations office of the American Wizarding Ministry. It really hadn't been anything other than a training session for himself. How Hermione had convinced Kingsley to let her go he would never know. She had turned down the Auror program, instead focusing on magical theory, runes, and magical research.

Everything after that first meeting with the State Secretary of Magic was fuzzy and unrecognizable. He thought he _might_ remember voices or…something after that, but he couldn't be sure. Tying up his last lace and attaching his wand holster to his forearm underneath his long sleeve, Harry Potter was ready to go and find his friend. Harry hesitated when he reached for his wand. If he was in a muggle hospital, maybe he shouldn't be walking around wand out. The statue and all that. He had almost decided to put his trusty Holly wand in the holster when he heard a roar of _'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!'_ in the back of his head. Smiling a small, sad smile, Harry tucked his trunk necklace under his shirt and picked up his wand, palming it.

Finally, dressed, equipped and feeling slightly stronger, he strode to the door and opened it, intent on finding Hermione and getting to the bottom of what happened to him.

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><p>Harry stepped into the hallway and glanced around, instantly going on edge, moving his wand in front of him. Medical equipment, carts, beds, virtually <em>everything<em> a hospital could have, was strewn randomly around the hallway blocking much of the walkway. Every twenty feet or so there would be another door leading to another patient's room. Some of the rooms were open while others had shut doors. Harry's nose involuntarily scrunched up at the scent of stale bodily fluids in the air. Oh, and don't forget, there were _holes in the ruddy walls!_ The ceiling had even come down in some places, hanging pieces of discolored plaster dangled all up and down the hallway. All in all, it looked like a warzone.

Now Harry wasn't nervous however. He had gone down a rather long (and surprisingly fun) slide to enter Slytherin Chamber of Secrets, only to then have to fight a giant Basilisk. He had fought Voldemort toe to toe several times. Hell, he had even died, _alone_. A cluttered hall, while irritating, was far from the worst thing he had seen. Still, something deep inside told him he should quietly take a look around. Harry had come to trust this instinct; it had served him well over the course of the war, after all.

Wand out and pointing, the raven haired teen started making his way carefully down the hall towards what he assumed was a nurses satiation. He carefully stepped over trashed medical equipment and tipped over linen cart contents along with a variety of other items. Passing a room labeled 421 he quietly peeked inside. Just like the hall, Room 421 was completely trashed, items of all sorts damaged or strewn about the room in a chaotic mess. Even the cloth hangings from the ceiling were laying all about the ground.

Deciding to continue on, Harry moved past the shut door leading to Room 420 before stopping outside Room 419. Looking inside the open room, Harry nearly gagged. There, on the floor, was the body of what he could only assume was a patient. It was decayed so much that he couldn't really be sure. The reflex to step back at the sight caused Harry to bump into a gurney he had previously maneuvered around with such force that it crashed into a nearby wheelchair, tipping it over.

Harry cringed slightly at the magnitude of the sound he had made before focusing on his surroundings again. After what seemed to be _forever_, the sound of the falling wheelchair had stopped reverberating along the silent halls. Harry released the breath he didn't realize he was holding when nothing seemed to have happened and no one came. That, in all actuality, was worrying by itself.

_'__Either no one in this hospital cares about..well anything really, or no one is here…'_ he concluded after a brief examinations of the possibilities. Ready to restart his trek, Harry moved past Room 219 and came upon Room 218. The amount of debris in the hall intensified around Room 217, almost creating a barricade. The amount of stuff in the way forced Harry to move closer to the walls just so he could pass. Three doors away from the (presumably) empty nurse's station, Harry had to press himself up against the closed door to Room 215 in order to get around yet another gurney.

Right as he cleared the door, a sound caused Harry to stop and listen. The sound had been faint, and he wasn't sure…there it was again! He looked back at the door with a little trepidation. The sound had come from _inside_ Room 215!

"Hello" Harry whispered at the door. "Is anyone in there?"

When no answer came, Harry thought he might have imagined the sound. He stayed still and strained his ears, listening for any form of response from within. When he heard the soft sound of fabric against fabric again he decided to investigate.

"I'm coming in. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you" he whispered before cringing mentally_. 'That didn't sound creepy at all Harry….'_ he thought to himself. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he gently pushed the handle down and slowly opened the door.

There was little light in the room, the window facing away from the sun at this time of day. From the half of the room he could see, the room was similar to the one he was staying in, save for the entire floor being littered with equipment. Looking around, Harry couldn't find the source of the sound yet. Opening the door fully, he stepped into the threshold to get a better look at the other half of the room. His eyes immediately fell upon a tall man standing in the corner of the room. His back was to Harry and he was facing the corner like a child in timeout. All he could see was the man's back and that half his head was covered in bandages.

Harry gingerly stepped into the room.

"Sir are you alright?" Harry whispered again. The same feeling he had when he first stepped into the hallway had intensified the moment he had laid eyes on the man. When the man didn't respond for the second time, Harry raised his voice slightly. After all, maybe the man couldn't hear very well right?

"Excuse me, Sir?" He asked with a neutral tone. When the man stiffened straight up he knew that, this time, the man had definitely heard him.

"Sir, can you tell me….." he began, only to stop as his mouth hung open in horror. Half way through his question, the man had turned around to face Harry. Face was a relative term in this situation however, as half of the man's face was _gone. _ Not covered up by the bandages, gone as in _missing_, like he had been attacked by a wild animal or something. It was grotesque.

Before the young wizard could say another word, the man charged at him, half mouth opening and closing, all the while moaning like some animal. Despite his training and experience thus far, Harry was so startled he jumped backwards, tangling himself in the wires of several pieces of equipment. The brief second he looked down to see what entangled his foot was enough for the mutilated man to close the distance and attempt to bite the last Potter. Crashing into him, the momentum and weight of the man, coupled with Harry's immobile foot, caused the wizard to tumble backwards out of the room, taking the snapping and moaning man with him.

Before the two could hit the ground, Harry's close combat Auror training kicked in. Twisting his body as far as it would go and pushing, he was able shove the man off to the side, causing the crazy to crash into the gurney barricade and Harry to fall painfully to the ground on his side.

"What the hell is your problem?!" He yelled, his temper quickly flaring. Harry quickly pushed himself up on one arm while aiming his wand at his attacker. The man tried to stand back up but was having a difficult time doing so, falling back down several times. As Harry's breath become ragged from the adrenalin, he assessed the threat before him and discovered the reason for the man's difficulty. Somehow, when Harry shoved him, the man had broken his leg. In fact, the leg was bent completely backward at an odd and painful looking angle. Harry immediately felt some guilt wash over him. He hadn't meant to cause that much damage.

Before Harry could blurt out the first word to an apology, the man had succeeded in standing back up and was slowly shuffling back towards Harry. The young man immediately disregarded the thought to apologize and quickly went on the defensive.

"Stop sir! I don't want to hurt you but you must STOP!" Harry commanded. The man continued to gnash his teeth together, moaning as he shuffled closer to the wizard, heedless of Harry's commands.

"I said stop! Stop now! Dammit! **Depulso!" **he spat out harshly. Harry watched the white spell fly off his Holly wand and he waited for it to take effect. What he didn't count on, however, was the spell hitting and _going through_ the man's chest!

_ '__There wasn't that much power behind that spell!_' Harry thought frantically. He had just killed a man! The young wizard only had a split second to be revolted by the sight before the gaping hole started spilling out the man's organs. The scant few seconds Harry laid there fretting over being a murder was all the shambling man needed before he was nearly upon Harry again.

Harry still wasn't nervous once he realized that though. Oh no, not now. No, instead, he had skipped right over nervous and went straight to panicked as he watched the man _who's heart was laying on the floor_ continue to advance upon him, teeth gnashing and all. Panicked now, Harry reacted on instinct.

"**Diffindo**!" he cried, aiming the spell towards the man's midsection by reflex. The yellow severing spell faded out slightly as it reached the man, becoming more transparent but still doing the job. Less than a second later, the upper half of the man's body fell backwards while the bottom half, along with the man's forearms, fell forwards, dumping some of his rotting blood and organs over the Boy-Who-Lived.

Breathing through his mouth to stop the gagging reflex, Harry turned his attention to the wires about his ankle. After a few quick movements, Harry's shaking hands were able to extract his ankle from the nest of wires. Finally free, Harry stood up and inspected his soiled clothing. The disgusting combinations of rotting blood and organs smelled putrid. He quickly cast a scourgify on himself. With a frown and another glance at his clothing, Harry saw that his spell hadn't done the job completely. In fact, while he may not be a prodigy in terms of household charms, he hadn't had such a failure with the cleaning charm since his first week using it!

Casting a second, and then a _third_ scourgify, Harry was finally satisfied with the condition of his clothing. A rubbing sound pulled Harry from his thoughts about his cleaning charm. Glancing down, the young wizard froze as the sight before him going from 'panicked' to 'scared' in a single glance.

There, at the feet of his attacker's body, the upper half of the man that had attacked him was…_dragging_ its severed torso in Harry's direction. It was….too horrible for words. Harry retched, throwing up all the acid in his stomach as he watched the bifurcated man slowly pull himself towards Harry on two oozing stumps. When the half-man lifted himself…_itself_ up and over one of his body's severed legs the young wizard lost it.

"**REDUCTO!" **He cried, pouring more power into the spell than normal. His wand tip glowed as the blue-white spell hit the…whatever the hell it was, shattering the head and every other part into thousands of gory pieces. The greed eyed wizard paid close attention to the fleshy bits that used to be a man…thing….whatever, looking for any kind of movement. After several minutes of wand pointing and staring, Harry was satisfied that the damn thing wasn't getting back up.

Letting out a breath of air, he rested his back against the wall and slid down to sit. Originally, Harry had thought something odd was going now…but now…now he had no freaking idea what happening!

'_The only thing that seemed similar to that thing was from one of the books he had swiped from Dudley…but no.…no…it couldn't be._

_…__could it?'_

"That was a zombie" he said out loud. Yep. Just saying it out loud made him sound crazy. Zombies…those things from science fiction? That couldn't be true right? He glanced back at the lower half of the now _confirmed_ dead corpse. _'He was cut in half'_ he thought.

Sighing, the young man ran his hand through his hair, his mind a whirl of thoughts.

"Bloody hell" he murmured, summing the situation up nicely.


	2. The Escape

**A/N**

**Greetings all! I got a few votes and, so far, it has been overwhelmingly positive. So thank you all for that. Over a hundred and fifty people have visited my story, but only five have voted. How should I take that reaction? Is it so bad people run from it so fast they don't even vote? **

**It's a Walking Dead ****_Crossover_**** people, not an actual walker itself. Don't run! :p **

**Hopefully this chapter will get all the people sitting on the fence to choose a side and I can get a better handle on what the majority of people think. It is a little rough, but I plan on coming back and fixing all the little grammar mistakes and such. I might even get a beta. Praise FanFiction though, for their ability to replace old chapters with new, better ones!**

**Now, on with the story!**

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><p>Previously, on<em> Death, Decay, and Diffindo:<em>

_'__The only thing that seemed similar to that thing was from one of the books he had swiped from Dudley…but no.…no…it couldn't be._

_…__could it?'_

_"__That was a zombie" he said out loud. Yep. Just saying it out loud made him sound crazy. Zombies…those things from science fiction? That couldn't be true right? He glanced back at the lower half of the now confirmed dead corpse. 'He was cut in half' he thought._

_Sighing, the young man ran his hand through his hair, his mind awhirl of thoughts._

_"__Bloody hell" he murmured, summing the situation up nicely._

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><p>Harry panted out ragged breaths as he leaned against the blood smeared wall. The effort it took to explore the level he had woken up on left him nearly exhausted. He hadn't felt this out of shape…well ever really.<p>

"I'll rest….for just a couple…ah…a couple of seconds" he muttered quietly to himself. Harry had learned pretty quickly that sound was an enemy in the current situation. After his rather loud encounter with the…_sigh_, zombie man from 215 had ended; the scared wizard had only a few short minutes before he had heard metallic clunking and banging sounds coming from further down the hall. Marshaling his remaining energy, he had hoisted himself back on his feet and gone to investigate.

It was then that he found a door leading to a stairwell and, upon cracking it open slightly, spotted an additional _three _more zombies. With panic washing over his body once more, he quickly shut the door, paying enough attention to do it as quietly as possible. Pushing his back against the door, Harry had proceeded to pull every gurney he could reach and obstructed the stairwell entrance. Confident after a few minutes that the zombies wouldn't get through the door, the boy Savior cautiously investigated the rest of the floor.

Approximately forty-five minutes later found Harry panting from the exertion, leaning against the bloodied wall for support. Turning around, he leaned his back and head against the wall, closing his eyes as tried to comprehend all that he had learned.

First off, there were no other zombies on his floor, something he was eternally grateful for. Second, he was completely sure now that he was in a muggle hospital that was, apparently, abandoned. And with good reason too! Zombies. Everywhere most likely. Even simply thinking the word caused Harry to mentally scoff.

_'__This is just too weird'_ he thought with no small amount of incredulousness. The inferni at the Hrocrux cave were bad enough, but he had never heard of them eating people! Thinking back to the two bodies he had found in one of the abandoned rooms caused him to shudderat the brutality of it. The one male body had been laying atop some female body, a nurse from the clothes, with its head bashed in. Even that wasn't the worst part though, seeing as there was little doubt that the man had been eating the woman before he died…._again._

The partially eaten hand inside the man's mouth was rather distinctive.

Several dry heaves later, Harry had concluded that there was no way in _hell_ that he was calling them anything other than what they were, ridiculousness be damned!

That still left Harry in a quandary, however, and he really had no idea what to do. He knew he was on the 4th floor and that he needed to go down. He also knew that he was already exhausted from what little exploring he did.

Harry sighed in frustration before hunching forward and resting his hands on his knees. There was no way in hell that he was going to be able to go down flights of stairs _and_ have the strength to deal with the zombies during his decent.

_'__I'm 17 and a wizard for crying out loud!'_ the teen bemoaned in his mind, _'I should have more strength than this. How long was I out?' _

The young man was thoroughly disheartened at the lack of information he could find about…anything really. None of the documents in the nurses' station had dates, or any writing at all to be honest. In fact…is had seemed rather sparse, lacking some of the things necessary to caring for patients on their floor. Still, he wasn't an expert so he shrugged that thought off. A short time later Harry, feeling less winded, pushed off his knees and straightened his posture.

_'__What to do now….'_ He thought, continuing to consider his options. There truly was only one option, really. He had to get out of the hospital. To do so, he would have go down, traversing the, odds are _because nothing could ever go right for him_, zombie infested stairwell. Never mind the rest of the hospital, he sure as hell wasn't staying in the place people would have actively dropped off zombie victims. After all, every child knows. When you get bitten, you turn.

Harry glanced around again, looking once more to see if there was anything salvageable or useful to him. Once again, his gaze came up wanting. The only thing he had found that could be useful was a rather full sack of medication in a garbage can. Other than that, nothing else. All the equipment was useless to him and there hadn't even been so much as a single bottle of water or a packet of crisps in any of the rooms or draws he had searched. There hadn't even been a working watch! Harry narrowed his eyes as he turned to glare at the clock on the wall, the very much _stopped_ clock.

_'__I wish I knew what time it was, even that would help!'_ he thought with agitation. There was no time piece functional at all! While it wouldn't help much, even knowing what time it was in the day could…help…..him…

His thought process slowed as he immediately connected several unrelated dots in his mind.

_'__I'm a wizard!'_ he thought excitedly while simultaneously slapping his forehead. Moving his wand hand in front of him, Harry cast the **Tempus **charm Hermione had forced him to learn one year. Harry looked on eagerly as the semitransparent letters and numbers flared into life in front of him. Less than a second later and Harry was frowning in deep concern.

00/00/0000

00:00:00

His spell hadn't returned any numbers. Well, that was incorrect. The spell had caused numbers to appear, but instead of the normal date format all the sections were filled with zeroes. He peered at the numbers for several seconds before swishing his wand, canceling the spell. Resolved, he tried again with more force.

"**Tempus**" Harry intoned again, causing his wand tip to glow with from the overcharged spell. The spell quickly formed in front of him again, still displaying the solely zero time and date. Frustrated, he canceled the spell once more before running over everything he knew, remembered, about the time spell. The **Tempus** spell connected to the Wizarding Time and Date Division of whatever magical governing body was present. The spell and intent was designed as such so that wizards and witches could know the local time wherever they were. In this case, being that he was in the states, the spell should have connected to the American Ministry in New Salem. Shunting his thoughts about possible problems in New Salem to the side, he then remembered the variation Hermione had taught him, the **Tempus Domus** spell. Tempus Domus was the spell magicals used to find the time where there primary home was located.

Harry, having been living at number 12 Grimmauld Place for the past few months after the war, quickly cast the **Tempus Domus**. The young man's alarm grew when the spell returned the same result, zeroes across the board. Harry knew of nothing that could block the standard Tempus spell.

_'__Err'_ he quickly amended in his mind, _'At least I don't know of anyone every trying to block it…'_

He knew his magic was working, so that automatically eliminated one variable. The problem, Harry quickly realized, was that there were numerous reasons the spell could have failed. They ranged from magical interference to…errr other things….

Regardless, he couldn't figure out what was wrong with the spell standing here in a zombie infested hospital.

"Right…zombies" he said out loud, realizing that his **Tempus** spell mishaps were _not _the priority at the moment. His friends needed to be found. _Then_ he could work on figuring out what was going wonky with his magic. Decision made, the Potter scion canceled the spell and picked up the medicine bag before turning and striding back into the demolished nurses' station. With a quick flick of his wand, all the items randomly strewn over the work tables were pushed off and into an already cluttered corner.

With a satisfied nod, Harry pulled his Auror standard issue shrunken trunk necklace from underneath his shirt and, after placing it on the newly reclaimed table space, canceled the shrinking spell. While the necklace may have been standard issue, the now enlarged trunk was decidedly _not_.

Despite Hermione's reticence over Harry joining the Auror training program, she still had at least one (read many) helpful insights. One of the greatest was her idea about the Auror issued trunks. Instead of accepting the standard three compartment emergency supply trunk routinely given to Aurors, she suggested looking into getting a custom trunk.

Harry had found the perfect one three days later in Diagon Alley. A six compartment, FeatherLight, live in trunk with working amenities, a small kitchen, a reading room complete with unending bookshelf, and three empty rooms for storage or anything else he desired. He was now thanking his second best friend in his mind repeatedly as he stuck his wand in the keyhole below the Potter crest before opening the Gryffindor red trimmed, ornate lid.

The second best idea Hermione had was to have a completely stocked potion storage compartment inside his trunk. With a smile, Harry began hunting pushing vials and full flasks looking for his PepperUp potion. His hunt was short as there was a great deal of vacant potion slots that needed no perusing. He had kept putting off getting the trunk refilled after a rather disastrous portkey incident. So many of his potions had spilled that he had to air his trunk out for nine days straight before having the entire interior repaired. The trunk maker was rather surprised that the whole thing hadn't blown up. Even the idea of not having something when he needed it didn't phase his smile when he found the four vials of PepperUpEnchanced that Ron had given him as a gift for getting into the training program. Procrastination may have led to him having a depleted potion inventory, but he simply shrugged the notion off. Nothing he could do about it now, anyway. A quick nip over to the Auror stockroom would replenish most of those he had lost. But he could get to that later.

Unstopping a single vial he quickly downed the magical concoction, tossing the empty container and the bag of medications back into his trunk. Before he had even shut his lid he could feel the effects of the potion on his system. He was energized again, though he knew it was only temporary. Planning ahead, he took the three remaining potions and put them in his front pocket before he re-shrunk his trunk and placed his necklace back over his head, tucking the trunk underneath his shirt.

Striding with purpose back towards the stairwell, Harry removed the makeshift barricade he had erected with the gurneys and stared at the closed door. Psyching himself up, with his wand in an offensive position and potions in his pocket, Harry Potter threw open the door prepared for anything as he began his search for his friends.

* * *

><p>Upon opening the door to the stairwell, Harry had expected to see the three zombies from before. Instead, he was only greeted by a mostly dark series of stairs. Still rather wary, but accepting his good fortune quickly he proceeded down the stairs, wand first.<p>

"**Lumos"** he intoned, causing his wand tip to glow. In the confined space, much of the darkness and shadows vanished under the light from his spell. Pausing for a few seconds to examine the stairs, he was happy to see that, for at least the next two flights, there were no obstructions present. Taking a quick look back towards the hallway that lead to where he woke up, he looked back down and proceeded on his downward trek.

The first three flights had been exceptionally clear, given the state Harry had found the rest of the hospital rooms in. There were only a few objects, none larger than a garbage can, strewn about the stairs. What bothered Harry, however, was the fact that he could hear the soft sound of someone running into _something_ a little further below. Harry pondered heading back up to the third level door and forcing it open, intent on avoiding what he assumed were the zombies at the bottom of the next set of stairs. He desperately wished he could apparate down to the ground level, but with his magic acting so weird and how drained he felt from using a simple lighting charm, he decided against it. Choosing to press on, the battle hardened wizard steeled his resolve before leaning over as far as he could over the railing.

_'__Yep….there they are….zombies.' _Harry though with trepidation. The three blighters had indeed been what was causing the thumping sounds he had heard. He also grimly noted that what they were bumping up against appeared to be a massive amount of equipment and beds. In short, an impassible barricade at present. Harry cursed his luck silently. The only upside of the situation was that the zombies were all faced away from Harry's current position and were fairly stationary. That and they didn't seem to be attracted to the light being emitted by Harry's wand. Perhaps they were blind? How DID zombies find their prey anyway?

Derailing the superfluous train of thought, he leaned back from over the railing and began forming a plan. Harry, after a brief debate, concluded that the most effective way to deal with the three zombies would be severing charms aimed directly at the head. Since they were faced away from him and down nearly a whole flight of stairs, he felt confident he could either: A. deal with the three from range or B. get away if things went sideways and pear shaped.

Quietly as he could, Harry moved down the last several steps left before he came upon the level 2 landing. Now fully facing the zombies, he could see that they were already banged up quite a bit. Even more proof that his earlier zombie assumption hadn't been so ridiculous after all. The stainless steel medical pole sticking out of the back of the left most zombie was a …*cough* dead giveaway.

Smiling at his internal pun, Harry pointed his wand at the head of the left most zombie. Making sure of his aim, he cast a quiet, yet moderately powered **Diffindo**.

The situation deteriorated immediately when his wand light winked out just as the spell was cast.

_'__Shit!'_ Harry cursed in his head. How could he forget, casting a spell with **Lumos **still active _canceled the light spell_! Now, plunged into darkness at the bottom of a zombie stairwell, the young wizard hastily backtracked as best he could in the darkness.

"**Diffindo!**" he cast again, causing the area to become illuminated for a brief second as the spell left his wand tip. As he watched the spell move through the air, he noted that it had again become more translucent right before it hit the zombie, _which had turned towards him!_ The small amount of light was gone again and Harry was plunged back into darkness. Hearing the moans of the creatures coming closer and closer the Auror trainee decided to saturate the area with as many spells are he could muster.

Seventeen flashing **Diffindo** spells later saw Harry casting the light spell again, wand pointed to where he last heard the moans. He let out a long sigh as he observed the state of his 'enemies'. At least one of his spells had successfully cut deep into the skull of the two closest zombies, dropping them back to their eternal slumber. The third, being the first one struck, had its head nearly severed from the next. Harry was too grateful that he'd been able to kill all three to worry about his off target barrage of severing spells. He was just about to start figuring a way to remove the barricade when he felt his strength leave him suddenly.

_'__Damn, that didn't last long.'_ Harry thought morosely, fumbling all the while with his pants pocket. Eventually he was able to retrieve another vial of PepperUpEnchanced, immediately uncorking and downing the entire thing. Once more, Harry felt a rush as the potion went to work inside his body. After the initial feeling subsided, he debated his choice of moving the barricade. He really didn't want to spend another night in the hospital….and he had no way of knowing how much stuff actually blocked his path. There was a distinct possibility that he could exhaust himself _and_ his PepperUp supply and not even be able to reach his target.

But what else could he do? Expending magic to open the door to the third level felt like it would be a waste. How could he get down to the ground from the third floor? No…his best bet now would be to go through the second floor and try to climb down then. Even if he, merlin forbid,_ fell_, at least from the second floor he could survive easily enough. He glanced towards the door leading to the second level.

_'__Well, no sense in waiting'_ he though as he walked over and placed his left hand on the bar release. Muttering a **Lumos**, Harry his wand aloft in front of his body as he slowly pushed the door open. The pause of a few breaths were all Harry needed to see that the immediate area around the door was in a similar state as his floor had been. More importantly, however, there was no sign of zombies. Holding his breath, he strained his ears listening for any sort of sound. Hearing nothing, he moved forward, only opening the door as much as he needed to in order to slip past. Allowing it to click softly shut, Harry cautiously advanced further into the hallway.

* * *

><p>As with the hallway on the 4th floor, this floor had both open and shut doors along with enough blood to be consider paint. One notable difference was the placard on the ceiling pointing down hall. Only needing a quick glance, Harry recognized the symbol for Emergency Exit. Holding his wand out further forward, he took in the surroundings as far as the illuminated wand allowed him too. Moving his wand around to get a better view of his environment, he concluded that it was safe to move forward. Safe….well…zombie free at least.<p>

Continuing to walk down the damaged and bloody hall, Harry picked up his pace as he got closer and closer to his objective. Light made its way in through the slats on the window at the furthest end of the hall, allowing him to discern that the Emergency Exit was actually a fire escape, which still suited Harry perfectly. He _wanted_ to escape…and a fire escape could just as easily double as a _zombie_ escape, after all.

"**Nox**" Harry whispered as he came within feet of the open fire escape, sunlight providing enough illuminations for him to see. Twenty steps away from salvation Harry sucked in a breath when felt his foot collide with something on the ground. Looking down he froze when he could just make out the mutilated leg of another body in the shadows. Raking his eyes over the leg, he saw that it connected to a body sticking out from beneath a pile of clothes and equipment. Paying close attention, he stayed as still as possible, waiting to see what might happen. Just as he was about to continue on, he saw the rotting leg _move_.

Wasting no time, Harry's body flooded his system with adrenalin causing him to shudder and feel cold. He quickly bounded the rest of the way to the open window, not bothering to waste his limited magical reserves to kill the zombie. Throwing his leg over the windowsill and getting his footing on the ladder, he heard a loud crash that caused him to look back…a grave mistake.

Harry had to put one arm up to keep the zombie at bay. He was nearly nose to eaten nose with the creature, its upper body sticking partially out the window with him. He gave was startled when he felt disgusting cold hands grab onto the arm he holding back the nightmare with. Giving a loud, alarmed yelp at the unexpected contact, Harry reared back, trying to put as much distance between the zombie and himself. In doing so, he lost his tenuous footing on the ladder and was immediately introduced to gravity.

The THUD that followed his landing on his side was less painful than the THWAK that accompanied Harry's head hitting the concrete, dislodging his glasses. The sound seemed to reverberate inside Harry's head, causing his vision to turn blurry and begin to swim. He moaned, mostly in pain but with some irritation. Reaching up, he pressed his hands on his head to try and alleviate some of the throbbing. In doing so, he felt something moist on his hand. Bringing it close to his eyes, he inspected it only to see blood all over his fingertips. Still disorientated and concerned about the blood, Harry almost didn't hear the sound of footwear crunching on gravel off to his right. Frantically, he began patting and searching the ground looking for his glasses so he see what was approaching. Feeling his fingers brush over the rims of his eyewear, he hastily grabbed them and slipping them on.

As his focus started coming back slowly, he was able to discern two men, both holding guns. Guns that happened to be aimed right at him.

"Estás bien?" one of the men called gruffly before hoisting his rifle up a bit higher, "Es usted poco?"

The injured wizard nearly cried when he heard them speak a different language. Harry shook his head in an effort to show them he couldn't understand. His movements instantly caused his head to pound even _worse_ than it had and the outer edges of his vision began to darken. In his last moment of consciousness, Harry was only able to weakly get out a single word.

"Help"

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So yeah, chapter two! I am excited. Harry got out, we learned a few things he possessed, and mystery is abound! Who are the two men? What will happen next? **

**I don't know what the update schedule is going to be like. I tried but can't pin down any definitive time table for chapters. Remember the poll on my profile page! Or, if you don't want to use the poll, just review with your answer. Poll will close on the 15****th****of November.**

**Read and Review my happy readers! Remember, constructive criticism makes stories better while praise makes authors' hearts glow! Reviews are like our candy, after all. You wouldn't turn a child away on Halloween with no candy, would you? Same concept applies here! **

**Shout out to AnarchicMuse for being the first to review. Thanks a lot! Your comment was much appreciated. **

**And again, to uoduck, for giving me some pointers. Go check out his HP/WD crossover and other stories!**


	3. Eight Months

**A/N**

**Hey guys! First off, I want to thank everyone who reviewed my story. (Specific names at the end of the chapter A/N) I really appreciate your responses. And just so you know, I am going to personally respond to each and every pm I get for the life of this story. I may not get to you that day, but I will get to you!**

** The poll closed! Wooo! Out of the seventeen votes…. seventeen said to continue the story! So thanks to everyone who voted, it was overwhelmingly positive and I appreciate yall voting.**

** I still don't have much of a schedule I can commit to. I think I am going to say one chapter per two weeks, to give myself some time to rewatch episodes and such and, of course, type the thing. :p My hope is that I can get a chapter out once a week, but no promises!**

**Also, if anyone wants to try their hand at being a beta for my story, I am open to applications. **

**As a side note, I have had over one THOUSAND unique viewers for my story, go me! But of those thousand, I only got 10 people to review. Sad face for me. I hope more people review the story, it really does motivate the authors. As I said, reviews with constructive criticism help authors and stories get better. Reviews that say how much you like the story, or questions, makes the authors feel special. So make us feel special and get better!**

**Also, this chapter is going to have the VATOS! YEAHH! Since they talk in Spanish, and I don't want to translate everything, I am just going to say when they are talking in Spanish…I hope that is acceptable for everyone.**

**I am on kik messenger! So if you want to send me a message, download the kik app! My name on kik is _artariouss_ that is with TWO Ss…..**

**Anyway, on with the story**

**EDIT: My scene break were missing, I hope it is all fixed now!**

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

_Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:_

_"Estás bien?" one of the men called gruffly before hoisting his rifle up a bit higher, " Es usted poco ?"_

_The injured wizard nearly cried when he heard them speak a different language. Harry shook his head in an effort to show them he couldn't understand. His movements instantly caused his head to pound even worse than it had and the outer edges of his vision began to darken. In his last moment of consciousness, Harry was only able to weakly get out a single word._

_"Help" _

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Felipe and Jorge had been out on a supply run all morning searching for anything useful. They had found a few things, some gas, a single box of ammo, about thirty cans of food (a variety of peas and canned peaches…yum), and a single box of eight hour candles. They had not, however, found so much as a single bottle of aspirin. Medication was their primary goal but, alas, their luck was slim on that front. Modern pharmaceuticals were all nice and dandy….when people had easy access to them. Now, with the world turned dead and walking around, people who depended on medication to live…didn't anymore.

Felipe sighed as he thought about all the elderly in his care. He chided himself nearly every day for the thoughts he had in the past. As a nurse, he had dealt with so many pills on a daily basis he hated the stupid things. Some patients would take them easily while others he had to practically force. He felt guilty every time he remembered how, back before the biters; he thought that the prescriptions he dealt with daily were a nuisance.

Now, irony of ironies, he would gladly fight through a group of biters to retrieve a single asthma inhaler.

Today, the Vatos duo had worked their way around the city in a barely functioning, beat up old ford truck. After several passes, the area around the factory that held the Vatos was picked clean, forcing subsequent searches deeper and deeper into the territory of the dead. If the walking dead weren't bad enough, living marauders constantly challenged every aspect of their life.

Luckily, the duo hadn't met too much resistance today, only having to handle a few biters. Thanks to that, the team was able to move further into the city, stopping just a block away from Atlanta General Hospital. They had sent a search party there earlier in the week, only for two out of four to make it back alive. The reason they were there, was the hope that the upper infested floors had been left relatively untouched. After all, who in their right mind would go into a ground zero infestation? Normally, the Vatos would have given up the two missing as a lost cause, but the hope brought by one of the survivors was too much to pass up. They had claimed that one of the missing members had found some medication. Even the hope and second hand knowledge was enough to warrant a second expedition.

Enter the best supply runners of their little gang.

Felipe kept his AK-47 at a low ready position as he peered around the corner he was standing at. The multi-story hospital was in sight, as were a number of walkers. Leaning back around, he started talking to Jorge quietly.

"There're about two dozen biters near the front entrance." He said in Spanish.

"Shit. That'll be too many to take down by hand. If we use our guns we'll get swarmed, or alert any of those puta looters." Jorge whispered in response, also in Spanish. Felipe just nodded his head before looking back around the corner. He looked for any way to get inside. Maybe a distraction to draw the biters away? He voiced his idea to his partner.

"No dude, we can't. It may draw the damn zombies away but it could _also_ lead dem looters right to us."

"Crap. How can we get in then?"

"Let me take a look." Jorge responded. The pair switched places, allowing Jorge to survey the area.

"Hmmm" he hummed out loud in thought.

"What is it?" his partner questioned.

"A way in, maybe. The old fire escape ladder is down, we might be able to use it to go up." The man replied, outlining his possible plan.

"Okay, let's go see. We got to get to the other side of this building, to see what we can see."

Cautiously, the pair went back around the large office building, moving from cover to cover along the way. It was slow going but, eventually, the pair reached a corner that had an unobstructed view of the side fire escape. The fencing on the sides was still intact, meaning there were no zombies near the bottom most ladder.

"Gracias a Dios" Jorge whispered with a smile. Turning back to Felipe, he saw that the man also had a small smile on his lips.

"Up we go then." He responded, bringing his shotgun up to his shoulder. Jorge nodded once before bringing his rifle up and moving forward.

The two stayed side by side as they advanced on the ladder. They were completely in the open but it was a risk they had to take. There was nothing between the side of the office building they had been observing from and the bottom of the fire escape.

When they got within forty or so feet of their objective, both men froze when they head a commotion coming from the second floor window. Not even a second after they had looked up, a body appeared halfway out of the second floor window. Felipe glanced in askance at Jorge who only shrugged in response. His gaze was back on the man in a heartbeat when he heard the startled yelp.

The two Vatos members immediately pointed their guns upward at the fight between man and zombie. They didn't have a clean shot, so neither pulled the trigger. Felipe felt his heart stop for a moment when the dark haired man slipped and plummeted down to the ground. The two shared a wince when the man's head struck the ground with a loud thwak. They started to move forward when they saw that the recently falling man was still alive and moving.

They kept their approach as quiet as they could at the moderate speed they were going. The man hadn't looked like a ragged looter so they were more inclined to help him. When they got within ten feet the man on the ground tensed up before frantically searching his immediate area.

Felipe and Jorge had been on too many supply runs to count. They lived, where others had died, thanks to two simple rules. Keep your head down and don't help bitten people. The two stopped their approach, Filipe watching the struggling walker on the second floor while Jorge paid close attention to the man on the ground. The unknown seemed to find what he was looking for when he hastily put on a set of glasses before looking towards the two of them.

"Are you ok?" Jorge asked in Spanish, "Were you bit?" Felipe had trained his gun at the unknown at that point. Jorge looked the man…._boy_ over critically as he waited for a response. His head was bleeding and his eyes seemed unfocused. He also looked like he was about to cry.

"Help." The boy said before pitching forward, unconscious. Felipe had a good feeling that the kid had a concussion from his fall. Looking over to Jorge, he laid out a plan.

"Keep an eye on him and that biter up there. I'll check him out."

"Right, okay."

The former nurse slung his AK-47 over his shoulder and warily approached the downed teen. Looking him over quickly, he noticed he was severely underweight and had a nasty gash on his head. His cursory glance didn't find a single bite…but that didn't mean much. Making a snap decision, he stood up and hoisted the boy over his shoulder.

"What are you doing amigo?" Jorge asked with no small amount of irritation.

"I don't see any bite, but I can't check him all out here. The kid was alive a second ago, if we run we can tie him up in the back of the truck and take him back to base." Felipe responded, already heading back towards where they left the truck.

Jorge sighed loudly. "Well, that's the end of our run then. Leave the biter?"

"Yeah, no sense in wasting ammo." Felipe called over his shoulder.

The ride back was uneventful and the boy hadn't woken up once. That may have been a blessing, neither of the men wanted to deal with the questions the boy might asked. Like why he was trussed up like a pig. Once back at the 'base', Felipe had a few new members carry their haul inside while he moved the boy to the 'medical' area inside their factory. Jorge had gone to tell Guillermo what had happened.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry woke with a pounding headache and a growling stomach. Opening his eyes slowly, he took in his surroundings. Instantly, Harry knew he was no longer in the hospital. The 'décor' of his room would have looked more at home inside an industrial factory or something. But how had he gotten here? He certainly couldn't remember getting to this place. Rubbing a hand over his face, he thought about the last thing he could remember.

At least….that is what would have happened if his arm hadn't been stopped halfway to his face. Looking over, Harry could only widen his eyes in horror as he saw the shiny, silvery metal of a handcuff wrapped around his wrist. Glancing around quickly, the young wizard confirmed that he was alone, so he started pulling on the cuff in the vain hope that he could break it free. The cuff was as unyielding as Harry had feared it would be. Unable to get it off, Harry began searching for his wand, all the while thoughts were running around in his head.

_'Who took me? What do they want? Where the hell am I?!'_ made the rounds inside his head while his search continued. Not finding his wand immediately, Harry started frantically patting his pants in hope that _whoever_ had chained him up like an animal had left it on him. His frantic movement rattled the chain against the pipe he was tied too, causing enough noise to alert the guard outside his door.

When Harry saw a young boy peek his head and stare right at him, he paused. One blink the boy was looking at him and the next he was gone, yelling something in what Harry thought could be Spanish. Alarmed, Harry began to struggle harder, pulling against his bindings with as much force as his body could put out. Quickly realizing that his action was futile, he tried the only route left available to him.

Wandless magic.

"**Alohomora.**" he intoned, focusing on the cuff…..only for nothing to happen. Distraught and scared of the possible reinforcements coming his way, Harry tried again.

"**Alohomora." **Again, nothing happened. "**Alohomora, alohomora, alohomora!" ** he tried in a panic. On the fifth cast, Harry was greeted with the satisfying *click* of the cuff opening. Throwing the manacle off his write, the newly freed wizard quickly made his way to the door. As he looked around the corner he felt his stomach drop to his feet. Eight men and the teen boy, less than five feet from his door, were now openly staring at him in shock. Seven, he could see, were armed while the short one in front and the teen were not.

The wizard and group of men stared at each other for a long second before Harry ducked back around the corner.

"I don't want any trouble guys, I haven't done anything to you." Harry called from his spot right at the edge of the door frame. He heard a few of the group muttering in what he was now sure was Spanish before they went silent again.

_'Shite.' _Harry thought, _'What if they don't speak English?'_

"Well we have a problem then." A new voice said in moderately accented English. Harry was to know he could at least be understood. He didn't know the translating charm at all.

"We don't know you, so we don't trust you. Now how can I believe someone I don't trust when he says 'I don't want any trouble?'"

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Guillermo had been irritated the whole day. First, he had to deal with a member stealing supplies. That wasn't fun. Then, he had to deal with Jorge and Felipe not finding any of the medication they needed. Add to that the stranger they brought into the base that they had to expend precious supplies on and the Vatos leader was not a happy man.

Then, to add on top of it all, Miguel comes running into the main living area yelling about the 'prisoner' being awake, something Felipe promised wouldn't happen for at least a day. Now, he had the old people worrying about the potentially dangerous person, adding stress to their already deteriorating health. On top of that, it seemed that, when Miguel left the boy alone, had somehow, given the boy enough time to get free of his restraints. Yes….he would be dealing with Miguel later.

Now…now he had what amounted to a standoff between a possibly hostile and, apparently, resourceful unknown who sounded suspiciously British. Guillermo looked behind him and waved one of the men to go get reinforcements. While confident that he could overwhelm the _single_ boy with the firepower he had, he really didn't want to waste the bullets.

"Well?" he called out, stalling for the time needed to get more bodies to help.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

"Err…..how can I prove that to you?" Harry asked back, stalling for time so he could keep looking around the room for any exit. There wasn't even a window and all the walls seemed to be concrete. If he had his wand…he would be a lot better off, but his kidnapers were through. They had left him his necklace, however, proving to Harry that, at least the people who searched him were definitely not magical. They would have recognized the Auror symbol on his necklace.

"You can come out slowly with your hands up. That would be a good start." The other man responded. Harry quickly ran through the pros and cons.

"How can I be sure you won't hurt me?" he asked his first question, both for an answer and more time to think.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Guillermo snorted with mild amusement at the boy's question.

"We didn't save you and use our supplies on you just to kill you later _amigo._" he responded, sneering on the last word, "We would've put a bullet in you when you _before_ we used our stuff on you. Now…come out slowly…." He let his sentence trail off, leaving the _'or else' _off but still recognizable.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry was confused and conflicted, but he really didn't have much of a choice. He wasn't versed in offensive wandless magic to any notable degree and he _definitely_ couldn't take out eight armed guys without his wand. Even with his wand, he had no idea if he could do it without getting hurt; he never had to battle muggles with guns before. The other man's response had given Harry a little hope that he wouldn't be shot down immediately.

_'Ruddy Americans with all their bloody guns_' he thought as he prepared to turn himself in.

"Alright….I don't want any trouble. Ill move out in the open just….don't shoot me, alright mates?" He said. Harry was impressed that his voice didn't waver in the slightest, betraying none of the _massive _unease he had at the moment.

"Come on out then kid." Was the man's response.

Taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly, Harry moved around the corner with his hands out in front and in plain sight.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Guillermo got his first complete look at their new 'guest' when he came around the corner. Jorge hadn't been kidding when he said the kid barely looked seventeen. The Vatos leader took in the boy's frightened and gaunt face, a sight all too familiar to him now that the world had gone and collapsed. He didn't see any hidden intent in the green eyed teen, but he had only lived this long by playing it safe. The two opposing sides started at each other for another long minute before the boy started to shift slightly, probably nervous.

"So…uh…Hi? Thanks for saving me?" the boy said. Guillermo noticed he kept shifting his eyes to each person in the group before coming to land back on him.

"Uhhh, take me to your leader I guess?"

Guillermo snorted before he could catch himself. He wasn't alone in that though, as several of the men behind him laughed lightly.

"_I _am the leader of the Vatos. I am Guillermo, you may call me Guillermo of Sir. " the Vatos leader said in a hard voice. He still didn't know the kid and he had too many responsibilities for him to come off as a softie. He was glad to see his stern stare had worked, as least somewhat, as the boy looked even more nervous now.

_'Better to keep possible enemies off balance'_ he thought to himself as he waited for the boy to respond.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry had felt a little better when he had made some of the armed men, Vatos members apparently, snort and chuckle in amusement. His optimism faltered, however, at the no nonsense tone the apparent leader had taken. Normally, Harry would not have cared that much, he was a wizard after all, as well as a trainee Auror. He had faced down Voldemort for crying out loud, a single muggle with a hard tone would not have fazed him.

Normality, however, was not something Harry had encountered since waking up in the hospital. That and this particular muggle had seven heavily armed goons with him, so Harry found himself a little more nervous than normal.

"Umm Hello Mr. Guillermo. My name is Harry Potter. I would shake your hand but I don't want anyone to shoot me." The Boy-Who-Lived rejoined, adding the slight quip at the end. Humor had a way of making people's moods better, and Harry was _very_ interested in making this, Guillermo's mood as good as possible or he could very well be the first swiss-cheese wizard, courtesy of hundreds of bullets.

Harry knew his joke had paid off when their leader, Guillermo, cracked a small smile. The young wizard let out the breath he was holding when the Vatos leader waved his hand in the air, signaling the others to lower their weapons. Harry knew that they could snap their weapons back up just as quickly as they lowered them. Still…it was a start, and Harry felt decidedly less nervous now that he didn't have multiple guns pointed at his head. Unsure what to do now, he lowered his hands slightly and simply looked at the diminutive Vatos leader. Guillermo merely looked right back at him; sizing him up, judging his sincerity….who knows? Harry cursed his inability to read people.

Finally, after what turned out to be a rather long and awkward silence, the man named Guillermo barked an order in Spanish, causing most of the assembled group along with the young teen to leave.

"Come then Brit, we can talk and get to know one another in my office. " He said, motioning for him to follow. Harry obliged, cautiously following the gang's leader, the two other men following closely behind. The wizard kept a keen eye on his surroundings making mental notes on the route he walked. He did his best to try and _not _look like he was looking, mapping out possible escape routes, but he wasn't sure how effective he was.

After a short walk, Guillermo entered a door to what appeared to be an office. Harry made to follow when he turned his head towards the sound of another door opening. He was startled when two of the four 'escorts' dashed towards the door. One immediately blocked the view of the other side and hustled him towards the office while the other went through and quickly shut the door. Before the remaining guard entered the office and slammed the door, Harry was sure he saw someone in a wheelchair. Looking back to the other occupant in the room, he saw that Guillermo had sat down behind a rather bland desk. He gestured to the opposite seat which promptly had the guard pushing Harry forward and into said seat.

With a small glare at his 'host', Harry sat quietly waiting for the obvious interrogation to start.

"I hope you don't mind, Marcus will be listening in." the Vatos leader said with a sardonic smile.

"It really doesn't look like I have a choice, so sure, the more the merrier." Harry replied. The other man simple stared at him for several seconds before diving right in.

"So….Harry, do you mind if I call you Harry? Tell me where your base is."

Harry was at a loss. Base? What base was he talking about? Harry didn't have a base…he told Guillermo as much. The man's face morphed into a strong frown before flicking his eyes towards the 'guard'. Harry didn't have time to think about the reaction as, not a second later, he felt a jarring punch hit him on the back of his head. He let out a pained yelp before looking up and glaring at the man across from him.

"Let me make this clear, _amigo_" the man spat, "I want to know who you work for, how many people are in your group, what plans you have, and everything you know about the two missing men I have. Tell me…or I might have to feed parts of you to my three man eating dogs…." The boy was too clean…his clothes just too well kept to have been on the streets. He had to have been at a base of some kind. Maybe a raider base? The former custodian suppressed a shiver at the thought of those bastards having a camp so close to the factory. He had to be hard to get the information he needed.

Harry just stared incredulously at the man. What the hell was he talking about? Harry had been joking about this being an interrogation, but now he certainly wasn't laughing.

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about! I don't work for anyone and I don't know anything about two missing men. You can't just treat people like this!" Harry yelled, angry, slightly scared, and fed up with the whole situation. Even after all his attempts, his anger was still quick to manifest. Recently, he had been able to keep It to a dull simmer but, with everything he had to deal with so far, his control was out the window. He took a few deep breaths to try and blunt his anger, a training technique he had picked up from Tonks….before she died.

Several seconds later, Harry spoke up in a more controlled voice. "Look, if you just let me go I won't call the police. I don't know what the hell is going on but whoever you think I am I….." Harry trailed off as he watched the man across from him laugh. Even the guard was laughing, if the heavy gawfs behind him were any indication.

"I don't see what's so funny…you could get into serious trouble with the law….." He trailed off again as the laughter became more pronounced. Harry decided then to just shut up and let the two idiots get whatever the hell they had out of their system. '_If only I had my wand…_'the teen lamented.

After nearly a full minute of laughter, his two captors had mostly calmed down.

"Ese, there haven't been police for months! Why even say that?" Guillermo said with mirth still tinging his voice, leaving Harry starting at him incredulously.

"What do you mean 'no police'? How can there be no police?" he demanded.

"What do you mean 'what do I mean'?" Guillermo shot back incredulously, all signs of laughter vanishing.

"What the hell do you think I mean? How can there be no police? This is America right?" Harry asked.

'_Maybe I'm not in America anymore….maybe these guys kidnaped me and….took me someplace else? Central America? Cuba maybe?' _Harry thought. They were speaking Spanish…so it was possible.

"Where have you been the last six months Brit? The worlds gone to shit, humanity has broken down. The dead don't stay dead. How the hell don't you know this?" The Vatos leader responded, curiosity readily apparent in his voice. He shot a questioning glance back at Marcus, who only shrugged in response. Looking back to the Englishman in front of him, he could see the disbelief written all over his young face. Guillermo pondered for a moment how expressive the kid's face was. He would _love _to play a game of poker with him, the tells he would give off would make it a sure win.

Harry was close to having a panic attack.

"Wait six months? What? What day is it!" Harry had jumped out of his chair as the finally realized what the man had actually said.

_'Six months?' Harry thought, 'What had happened…have I really been in a coma?'_

"It's some day in August…"

"August? What…what year!?" Harry interrupted, his voice cracking slightly.

Perturbed at being cut off, Guillermo growled out his answer. "August, 2000. The dead have been walking the lands for the past half year. How can't you know this?"

Harry nearly fainted at the man's response. Not six…Eight months?! He had been asleep…in a _coma_ for eight months! The distraught boy sunk back into his chair, placing his face in his hands.

_'What happened to me? What the hell is going on? Eight months!? Where was Ron or Hermione?'_ Harry had dozens, hundreds of questions running around in his mind. Where were his friends? What had he been in a coma for eight….MONTHS!? So much could have happened! Harry let loose a groan of despair. Such was his emotional turmoil, the Vatos leader could practically feel the misery radiating off the boy.

"What happened to you amigo?" Guillermo asked, his tone less harsh than before. He hated playing the 'tough as nails', 'take no shit from anyone' gang leader. He was a janitor for crying out loud.

"I think…I think I was in a coma..." Harry responded with anguish, head still firmly in his hands. If what the man had said was true….maybe he had been right in thinking the zombies were everywhere. How long…the Vatos leader _had_ said the whole world went to shit….they were all over the whole world? But his friends….what had happened to his friends? Were….were they _dead?_

Harry's thoughts spun deeper and deeper into the dark hole of depression. It felt like the blows just kept coming. First he wakes up, alone. Then he finds a destroyed hospital and zombies straight from science fiction walking around. After that he gets kidnaped and now he finds out he had been in a damn _coma_ for eight…whole…._months!_ He choked back a sob at the thought. Everything had been going so well…what about Ginny? What about the rest of the Weasley family? What about….

"Oh God! What about Teddy!?" Harry said out loud with a sob. What about his Godson? He loved that little 'morpher to bits and now….now who knows?

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Guillermo watched as the boy broke down and sobbed quietly into his hands. His heart went out to the kid, it really did. Unless he was the world's best actor, the anguish in the kid's sobs was real. He didn't know who or what this 'Teddy' was, but the kid was really broken up over it. Guillermo looked up at Marcus to seem him frowning in concern at the boy. Catching his eye, Marcus looked up at his boss and nodded slightly.

Releasing a sigh, Guillermo stood up and walked around his desk to the occupied chair. Gently he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Come on, its nearly dinner time. Lets get you something to eat then you can sleep. How does that sound?" he asked gently. The boy, Harry, looked up at the man with red rimmed eyes.

"No, I've slept long enough! I need to know more. I need to know _what _is happening. I…." he started to ramble.

"We can talk tomorrow. Felipe was surprised you didn't have a concussion from your fall but he said you would be tired from it." Guillermo cut him off, "Don't worry, I will answer everything tomorrow okay?"

Harry was still upset, he needed to know! He needed to know everything! But the man had promised…and his head did hurt something fierce. Slowly nodding his head, the Vatos leader smiled before calling his guard, Marcus, over. Standing up, Harry and the two other men exited the office and backtracked their route to the room he had woken up in. He hesitated at the door for a split second, but it was enough to be noticed by the two Vatos members. They split up then, Guillermo heading to what Harry assumed were the kitchens while Marcus went into the drab room and headed towards the bed.

Emotionally drained but still curious, Harry followed the man inside. A short time later, Marcus stood back up and turned around, handcuff and chain in hand and a smile on his face. Harry backed away slightly in apprehension. The man's smile quickly turned into a frown before a look of understanding came over his face.

"No, no, Not for you again." Marcus said in heavily accented English. Harry merely nodded his head.

Marcus nodded back before walking out of the room. The young wizard watched him go before turning back to 'his' bed. At least it looked semi useable. The cover was clean…ish. Harry wouldn't complain though. After living ten years in a cupboard most things looked decent to him.

Harry felt someone behind him even before he had entered the room. Turing back to the door, he was greeted by the near identical sight he had waking up. The same teen Harry had seen when he was still chained up was again sticking his head around the corner, staring at him. This time, however, he had a steaming bowl in his hands. Glancing at it, then back up at the boy caused the younger person to pink slightly before entering the room.

"The Boss said to give this to you…so…..here" he said, holding the bowl out to Harry who quickly accepted it.

"Thanks mate." Harry said before he made his way to his bed and sat down. After testing the temperature he began sucking down the soup broth. A silence descended upon the room, interrupted only by Harry's occasional slurping. He was so engrossed in his meal and his thoughts he hadn't noticed that the boy had stayed in the room.

"You talk funny" the kid blurted out, causing Harry to look up from his meal.

"I'm British, it's _you_ that talks funny." He responded with a small smile. The younger teen seemed to take exception to his comment, if the angry look on his face was any indication.

"_No_, you talk funny. I talk normally."

"I talk normally too, guvna." Harry retorted, smirk widening a little. He reminded Harry of a younger Ron.

"No, you don't!"

"What you on about, mate?"

"See!" The boy said, pointing at Harry's mouth, "That right there! That isn't normal!" he practically yelled. In his excited state the young boy's words had started to gain a heavier and heavier accent.

"Are you taking the piss?" Harry asked between a mouthful of broth.

"What does that even mean!?"

"Are you having a go?"

"A go of _what!_ Speak English!"

"I am speaking the Queen's."

The younger boy seemed to get fed up, throwing his hands in the air before walking away muttering in Spanish. Harry smiled as he watched him go. Two more mouthfuls later and his meal was finished. It was a good thing too as he was starting to have trouble keeping his eyes open. Harry put the bowl on the ground before laying gently back against the bed. The meal and the exasperated teen had done wonders for Harry emotionally, but he still felt like crap. As he felt his eyes start drifting shut, his hazy thoughts turned towards his two friends and godson.

'_I hope they're ok.' _Was his last conscious thought of the night.

****%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%****

**A/N**

**Whew! 5.7k words! My longest yet! I hope you all enjoyed it. I tried to advance the plot enough in this chapter to suit my needs, so I hope no one thinks it was slow. Still though, reviews, comments, questions are always welcome. So tell me what you thought of the chapter! I am really interested. **

**As always, review review REVIEW! Comments, concerns, questions, whatever, just tell me how I am doing. In fact, I will bake a whole batch of internet cookies for each person that reviews! Let's pass 20 reviews with this chapter. What do you all say? Are you with me!? Come on, let's do it!**

**Shout out to reviewers:**

**GaleSynch:** Don't worry, I am getting to more characters soon! Who likes Glenn the most? :P

**Angel4EverLostInLife:** Glad you are enjoying it!

**darkest magic:** Can't tell you about the magic yet! Sorry! But like I said in my PM….There is nothing wrong with his magic. Stay tuned!

**SimFlyer:** Glad you liked it! Harry's magic is working fine. That's all I can say!

**ClownWhosFeelnDown:** I am happy you like it. Maybe we can help the clown feel better than being down! :p

**Yeong-wook:** Thanks! Glad you have a good time reading it. I will be continuing to update this story. The response was really great!

**fraewyn:** I am happy you liked it so far! Tell me what you think of the new chapter.

**Alice1985:** I really hope he finds her soon too. Who knows? Maybe in a few chapters.

**That's all folks. Remember, please leave a review. Reviews keep FF going round and round and authors from starving.**

**Also, I have a question to pose to all those people from countries around the world that are checking out my story. Are you guys able to understand it well? Do you guys like it?**

**Until next time**


	4. Sadness and Discovery

**A/N**

**We broke 20 reviews! Yeah! I am so happy! So I had normally planned on releasing this chapter next on the 22****nd****or the 23****rd****…****.but I am so happy that I am putting it out early! It's a whopper to! Biggest one I have ever written, over 11k words! I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Let's try and break 40 reviews for this one!**

**SUPER SPECIAL SHOUTOUT to AnarchicMuse and **lOoWardyoOl** ! Thanks for the pointers and words of wisdom on this chapter, you guys really put my mind at ease! And, as promised, your very own batch of freshly baked, walker shaped sugar cookies! Yeah!**

**Also, I am on Kik messenger! Details are on my profile page. Feel free to shoot me a message if you so desire. My name on kik is artariouss**

**Remember to read and review people! Read and review!**

_I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters….or any of the Walking Dead characters either….if I had, Carl would not have been shot and Lucius would have had a much bigger role in things, just saying. Shane would still be dead though…yeah….as a doornail_

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_Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:_

_Harry put the bowl on the ground before laying gently back against the bed. The meal and the exasperated teen had done wonders for Harry emotionally, but he still felt like crap. As he felt his eyes start drifting shut, his hazy thoughts turned towards his two friends and godson. _

_'__I hope they're ok.' Was his last conscious thought of the night._

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry let out an exhausted sigh as he plopped down into a random chair in the kitchen. The last two or so weeks with the Vatos had been tiring in more ways than one. The young wizard leaned back farther into the chair before closing his eyes. He thought back to the second day he had been with the friendly gang, a day of answers and sadness.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: Two weeks ago)~~~~~~~~~~~**

Harry had woken up the next day feeling better, both physically and magically, but not emotionality. He couldn't tell what time it was, with no windows in his room, but he knew one thing for sure. He was hungry. So, after completely waking up, he ventured forth into the hallway.

He was immediately greeted by a dozing Marcus, the man he had met the other day. Deciding, Harry tried to stir the big man awake.

"Hey uh…Marcus. Wake up." He said feeling slightly foolish. How did one wake up a guard without sounding condescending? Luckily for Harry, the man stirred before opening his eyes at the sound of his voice.

A brief conversation later and the two were off towards what Marcus had called 'the chow room'. Harry strongly suspected English was not the man's first language. But, like with Krum, Harry was able to understand most of what Marcus had said. When the two entered the bright, but mostly empty cafeteria, Harry could smell….something cooking in the kitchen area. Marcus had motioned for him to sit before heading off in the direction the smell was coming from. Sitting, Harry took a long look around the eating area. From the way the sun was shining into the room, he assumed it was sometime early in the day, maybe tenish or so. It was dirty, but not in a filth kind of way. More like, run down, used, or worn. Amongst the empty seats there were several other people, all eating, all looking still half asleep.

Scratch that, Harry was sure two of them actually _were_ asleep.

His attention had returned to Marcus when he came back with two bowls of the same thin broth he had eaten last night. Accompanying it was a small side of beans and maybe a spoon of rice. While he was used to Hogwarts food now, his previous 'eating' experience at the Dursley's had taught him to accept anything he could to eat. Still, it wasn't a proper English breakfast, not by a long shot.

The two males sat and ate together in relative silence. Additional people had wandered in over the course of their meal, all of which glanced in Harry's direction more than a few times. He tried to smile or nod each time he saw a person looking even though none of them returned the gesture.

_'__I wonder why they are afraid…or wary of me.'_ He had thought at the time. He hadn't done anything bad…that he knew of at least. Then again, Guillermo had said the world was different now…maybe Harry had underestimated how much had changed….

Deciding to breach the topic, Harry broke the silence and talked to Marcus.

"What happened the past eight months? How could things have gone so badly?" He had asked. Marcus had looked up from his bowl and started at Harry in silence for a few seconds. Finally, he spoke.

"Need to ask Boss, Boss will tell." He had responded before digging back into his bowl.

"When do I get to talk to him? I need to find my friends." Harry had pressed. Now that he was awake and feeling somewhat better, his determination to find his friends had come back full force.

"After food." Marcus grunted in reply. Accepting that answer, the young wizard went back to his meal.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~**

Harry grimaced as he remembered the conversation he had with Guillermo and Felipe that day. That had been an informative, frightening, and depressing conversation all rolled up into one. It had, however, proven to Harry that he hadn't misjudged the Vatos, they really were decent folk.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: Two weeks ago)~~~~~~~~~~~**

Harry had been escorted by Marcus to Guillermo shortly following his morning meal. As they had headed towards the upstairs, the wizarding savior had tried to organize as many questions in his mind as he could. He had _so many_ though, that he was having trouble figuring out which ones to ask first. Obviously, 'what the bloody hell happened' was first on the list…and that was as far as Harry could decide.

The trip upwards ended at an open door that had led to a room with one whole wall of windows that overlooked the rundown city. Spotting Guillermo and another man looking out over the city along with three chairs and a small bag, Harry had walked right in. Marcus closed the door behind him, electing to wait outside apparently. The Vatos leader and his companion had turned around at his approach. Guillermo motioned for Harry to take one of the seats before he and the other man sat down.

_'__At least I wasn't shoved into a chair this time' _ Harry snarked in his mind as he sat across from Guillermo. The man cleared his throat before he started the conversation.

"This is Felipe, he's the one who brought you back." Guillermo explained, motioning towards the heavyset man sitting beside him. He, Felipe, had only nodded towards Harry. Harry responded with his own nod before focusing back on the short Vatos leader.

"Here's the deal Harry. I said I would answer your questions, and I will, but only after you answer mine. Okay?"

Harry had only nodded in response. He had expected something like this to happen. He may not have been sorted into Slytherin, but over the years he had finally learned that nothing came for free, _especially_ information.

"Don't lie to me Harry." He had warned before starting the barrage of questions.

"Are you part of a group?"

"No."

"Alright. Have you ever been with the looters?"

"No, I don't have any idea who they are."

Guillermo had nodded then, as if Harry had confirmed something he had been thinking.

"Okay. Next question. How are you so clean?" The Vatos leader asked, leaning forward in his chair. Felipe also looked to be paying close attention.

"Err, I don't understand the question." Harry had responded, confusion written all over his face. Sure the clothes he had put on were fresh, but Harry certainly didn't feel clean. At least not as clean as the man opposite him seemed to be suggesting.

"Your face, your hair, your clothes Harry. They look like they look like they've hardly been worn. Definitely not street clothes."

"What? I don't get what you are asking me. I just put them on when I woke up."

"When you woke up?"

"That _is _what I said."

"So you're still saying you were in a coma?" Felipe asked at that point.

"I guess…I don't know what happened. "

"What is a Brit doing so far from home?"

"I was here in the states on a trip with a friend of mine. I don't know anything after that before I woke up."

"How don't you know what's been going on these past few months?"

"I don't know, like I told you I think I was in a coma…"

"How long?" the other man questioned suddenly.

"How long what?"

"How _long_ were you 'in a coma'" Felipe asked, making air quotes.

"You said it was sometime in August right? Year 2000? About eight months then." Harry responded after receive affirmatives to his fact checking.

Felipe looked over and shook his head at Guillermo.

"What?" Harry asked, perturbed that the man, both men most likely, didn't believe him.

"There is no way you could have survived. The power's been out for months. You would be dead." Felipe challenged, his voice growing hard.

"You have to be lying." He had said simply.

"How would you know?"

"I was a nurse before all this…mess happened"

"I'm not lying, I don't know what happened. Like I said, I was with a friend in December of 1999 in Massachusetts. Then I woke up in a hospital before being brought here and told it really is August of 2000. What the bloody hell do you think happened?" Harry demanded, his anger rushing to the surface.

"I don't know."

"Well I don't know either." Harry lied childishly. Once he learned the power had been out for months, Harry thought he had a good idea what had happened. His magic had saved him….somehow. It would easily explain how tired he had gotten after casting a few simple spells. His magical core had drained itself to keep him alive. But he couldn't tell muggles that. They couldn't believe him and he couldn't prove it without serious repercussions.

Harry's mind had been a blur of motion trying to figure out a plausible lie to appease the two men. If he didn't come up with something, he was sure they wouldn't answer his questions. In fact, they might even imprison him again. Harry was sure he could escape, sorta, but he would still be missing potentially vital information. A sudden idea popped into his head as the two stared at him.

"Wait….there was this woman…"Harry began. At the time, he had scrunched his face up in concentration, acting like he was trying hard to remember something. The two men shared a brief glance before turning back to Harry.

"Go on…." Guillermo said.

"Well, when I woke up I looked around and I found this blood. It looked fresh so I followed it. I…uh…found these two bodies. One had been eating the other one but both had their heads bashed in. " Harry said, mixing truth and lies into his story as best he could.

"Whoever put the two rotters down could have been tending to you…." Guillermo had said as he slowly nodded. It was possible, after all. The survivors of the group that had gone to the hospital had reported that the upper floors were heavily barricaded. There could have been a survivor.

Harry jumped on the man's cautious acceptance.

"Maybe, I just don't know. Please guys, you have to believe me. I really don't know what happened." He had pleaded. Begging was not something he enjoyed, not by a long shot, but he had learned to swallow his pride after Sirius had been killed. If he had just learned occlumency….

Harry quickly derailed that depressing train of thought. The past was over, right now he needed to focus on the present to get back to his friends and godson. He swore to look after the little kid and he damn well would find him. Healthy and _alive._

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen…errr Ninteen now." Harry responded with a small blush. His birthday had always been a weird thing for him. Most of his life he had spent being the only one who cared about it. Even after Hogwarts it really wasn't 'that big of a deal'.

"What floor were you on?" Felipe suddenly asked.

"At the hospital?"

"No, at your mother's house. _Yes_ at the hospital _idiota._"

"Errr fourth floor. I came out of room 422. Why?" The wizard responded warily. His nervousness increased when he saw the shocked expression on Felipe's face. The man had quickly turned and started speaking rapidly in Spanish to Guillermo, who was simply nodding as he started at Harry.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, irritated. He hated it when people had conversations in a different language. He had always felt like the goblins were insulting him or something when they talked to each other in gobbledygook. At a single sharp nod from the 'Boss', Felipe turned back to Harry.

"Nothing is…'wrong' Harry. It's just….the fourth floor, rooms 410 to 425 is the long term coma ward…you couldn't have easily known that." He responded slowly, watching Harry's face closely.

Harry snorted in exasperation. "Well I did say I think I was in a coma. It would track that I would be there if I was….unconscious for eight months right? "At Felipe's nod Harry nodded in satisfaction.

"Well Bob's your uncle then."

Both men adopted a strange expression at Harry's comment.

"My uncle's name was Jose…." Guillermo stated plainly, causing Harry's eyes to roll.

"No…'Bob's your uncle' just means….that's that or something. Are we done with the interrogation again?" Harry asked in annoyance.

_'__Honestly, you would think I wasn't speaking English.'_ The young wizard had mentally scoffed.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~**

Harry let a small smile grace his lips as he remembered their confusion over his English saying. He had a lot of fun saying things that were perfectly normal, but so confusing to the Yanks. After his little rest, Harry stood back up and made his way over to the cooking station he had been working at. Cooking was a good activity for him, it allowed him to escape thinking about things for a while. In truth, it was probably the only useful skill the Dursleys had 'given' him. He picked up a handful of celery he had pre chopped and dumped it into the big vat he had simmering. Pulling the stirrer out, he tasted his concoction. It needed more salt. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he withdrew his mokeskin pouch, unfastened the leather binding, and thought about retrieving 'salt'. Placing his hand inside, he quickly retracted it, a full container of salt clenched in his fist. Humming a small tune, Harry poured some into the stew before starting to stir once more.

As he spun wooden stick round and round, he thought back to the conversation immediately following what he had playfully called his _second_ interrogation. That one…..that conversation had put him into a depression deeper than when he lost Sirius.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: One and a half weeks ago, midday )~~~~~~~~~~~**

After a few more benign questions, Guillermo had made his decision.

"Alright Harry, I think I can trust you. At least a little. It's very…._convenient_, your story, but I can tell you aren't lying. I ain't sure how…but I can."

"So I can ask my questions now?" Harry asked. Finally! He was going to get his chance to find out more about what was going on. At Guillermo's nod, he dove right into it.

"What happened in the past eight months?"

The Vatos leader had grimaced slightly at the question. No doubt he wasn't used to explaining everything that everyone supposedly already 'knew'.

"The world ended Harry…everything collapsed." Guillermo responded, his voice becoming thick with emotion. Normally, Harry might have picked up on that and tried to soften his approach somewhat. Now, however, he was finally getting answers. His need for any knowledge about his friends blinded him to the pain of the other two men.

"What do you mean ended? How did it happen?"

"He means _ended_, Harry. As in, the world stopped, civilization collapsed. Every day is a struggle to survive now." Felipe chimed in.

"As for how…we don't know. It started about seven months ago, in January. At least, here in the states it did. Before the news and internet went down, there had been confirmed cases in Europe as early as November. All we really know is, one day, the dead just got up and started eating people." Guillermo stated back into the conversation. Felipe just nodded his head sadly.

"We call them biters, or rotters. But things went downhill pretty fast after that." He had whispered in sorrow. The Vatos leader had then reached over and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"What about the..the Governments? Why didn't they do something?" Harry asked, his voice breaking from his inner turmoil. Felipe snorted humorously at the question.

"The Governments did do some things….but everything just…ran out. Food, water, medicine, _safety_." Felipe had stressed, "Everything was at a premium. Getting enough food to live changed from a day to day grind to a fight to the death. Neighbor against neighbor, country against country, government against its citizens, all the while the losers died, just to come back and eat the winners. Look out the window man! The US government firebombed Atlanta!"

"Now…now everything has changed, but there are a few universal truths that still apply. The strong take from the weak and the weak are left to die." Guillermo spat, his melancholy attitude turning to anger in an instant.

"What…what about the other countries? What about England?" Harry interrupted them somewhere in the middle of takedown procedures. The two men shared another look before Guillermo had responded.

"Harry…most of Europe was the first to fall. England fell early on. The last news broadcast from the BBC was over six months ago. Before the net went down overseas, the estimates were over eighty-seven percent of England was dead or dying.

"Eighty-seven percent!?" Harry had yelled, only for Guillermo to nod in response.

"Ireland was nearly a wash and Wales was completely dead. France had collapsed into anarchy." He had continued, "That was six months ago Harry….the conditions….they didn't get better." The man said, trying to be blunt and considerate at the same time. An impossible combination, given the circumstances, but he tried none the less.

Harry had sat there in shock upon hearing the story. The two Vatos members took turns explaining how things went down, right down to the gory details. Harry's mind stuck on two important things he had learned. The world…humanity….civilization, was _over_, gone, destroyed by this…this…plague of the dead. It also meant…his friends could be gone. The danger they had faced in the fight against Voldemort paled in comparison to a world ending event such as this_. 'Could they have survived? Surely the did survive? Right? They were magical after all. That had to have helped, right?' _ He had thought.

The three of them had stayed silent for some time after they had finished talking. The two Vatos members remembering the ones they had lost, silently commiserating with the boy they had just told had lost everything.

For his part, Harry was still too shocked to even cry.

_'__Eighty-seven percent…..six months ago!'_ he had cried out inside his head. The world was _dead_. Humanity was nearly _extinct_! Harry still had so many questions, questions he couldn't ask without sounding crazy. Thing like, why hadn't the magical populations of the world done something? The ICW…the American Ministry…The South African Magical Union…The Pan-Asian Magical Cooperative. Surely combined they could have stopped humanity from….from just bloody _ending_?

"I…I think I need some time alone." Harry managed to get out. The two men nodded their understanding. It was a lot to take in. Go into a coma one day, wake up and the whole world is broken, shattered into a million pieces. Harry made to stand up before a question he forgot popped back into his mind.

"Hey, what about my stuff? Can I get my wan…baton and bottles back?" Harry asked, covering his near slip with the first word he could come up with. Well, second word, wooden stick wouldn't have sounded impressive enough to want back.

Guillermo leaned over and picked up the bag that was sitting next to his foot. Reaching in, he pulled out Harry's wand. It appeared to be undamaged, something Harry was greatly thankful for.

"This is all we got off you, your bottles were broken." The Vatos leader said. "What is so special about this baton anyway?" He asked curiously, looking over the wood in his hands. There were no plans on keeping it from him, it wasn't even sharp! It was possible he could kill a biter by stabbing through its eye…but still, it was a very ineffective weapon.

"A...friend of my family gave it to me. It's an heirloom. I take it everywhere I go." Harry responded, trying to make it sound both important enough to want and important enough to have on him at all times…which he would, from this point on. He put his thoughts on how a two story fall could break an unbreakable vial to the back of his mind. He could think later. Guillermo simply nodded before standing up and making his way to the young man and holding out the wand. Felipe and Harry both stood as well, Harry taking the 'stick' from the short man.

"I would suggest sharpening it, it's no good against biters all blunt like that."

"Err…I'll keep that in mind." Harry responded, shoving his wand into his pants pocket. Guillermo nodded once more before whistling sharply. The door opened and Marcus stuck his head through.

"Take him to one of the better rooms. " Guillermo told Marcus before he's turned back to Harry, "Don't worry, this one has a door. " Harry gave a halfhearted smile.

"Everyone pulls their weight around here Harry. If you want to stay, you have to contribute. But we can deal with that later. Go rest, this had been a hard day for you, and it's hardly past one! Also, don't go opening any doors without an escort. " Guillermo stated, looking down at his watch. Normally, he got people working right from the start. But with this kid, he changed his procedure. Felipe didn't seem to mind considering he hadn't voiced any objection.

"I won't, thank you." Harry responded before following Marcus out of the room and down the stairs. He had thought the last request (order) had been odd, but he had much more important things on his mind at the moment. They took a new, shorter way around before Marcus stopped and pointed at a lime green door.

"This one yours." The man said.

"Thank you Marcus." Harry offered, causing the man to smile slightly and nod his acceptance. Harry turned the doorknob and opened the door before stepping in. He immediately closed it and looked around. This new room was just as drab and sparsely furnished as his other one had been. Harry noted a distinct lack of handcuffs though.

Finally, Harry made his way to the only bed in the room and sat down on its edge. His mind was overloaded with all the information and horror he had learned the past few hours. Dead rising from, well being _dead_, carpet firebombings, the collapse of the world, human civilization _ended. _ It was almost too much for the young wizard. Hadn't everyone suffered enough already? He had thought Voldemort would have been the worst thing he had to suffer….apparently life had other plans.

Still, Harry had gotten his wand back, which was something. His stalwart Holly and Phoenix feather wand had seen him through thick and thin….he only hoped it would see him through this nightmare too. Now a properly armed wizard, Harry decided his first course of action was to try and locate his friends. Placing his wand in his hand, palm up, he prepared himself for the results.

"Point me Ronald Weasley." He said out loud, using Ron's full name. Hermione had said it was required for the spell to work correctly, then she had gone on then to explain why. Harry just did as he was told.

The wand tip turned red as the wand began spinning in a lazy circle, never stopping. With each revolution, Harry's stomach dropped further and further down. The spell was supposed to make the wand point in the direction of the sought person, the tip glowing white the closer one got. When it turned red, when it spun and never stopped, that meant only one thing….

"Oh Ron" Harry croaked, tears beginning to trail down his face. He closed his hand and stopped he wand's movement before casting the spell again. The wand continued to spin, red tip not stopping once. The locator spell couldn't find his best mate because….because…he was dead.

Ron was dead.

Harry felt like someone had punched him in the gut. His wand winked out as it clattered to the floor. It was so hard to breathe; the tightness in his chest was so painful. His mind instantly flashed back to the day he met Ron on the train. The two scared first years had hit it off right from the start. Sure, over their relationship they both had faltered, but in the end, there was no one else he would trust at his back. They had been brothers, he had been a part of Harry's only family he knew. Ron had even invited him to be best man at his wedding to Hermione in June. He had instantly agreed.

He cried silently for a good half hour before he felt emotionally drained. The distraught wizard looked down at his wand wondering if he should even try to find someone else, wondering if he could handle the answer. Slowly, gently, he bent over and picked his wand up again. Placing it back in his up turned hand he prepared himself as best he could.

"Point me Herm…Molly Weasley" Harry couldn't stand to have lost another friend. Even if it wouldn't change the outcome…he just couldn't know.

He couldn't stop the anguished cry that escaped him when the wand tip once again lit red and spun without stopping in the palm of his hand.

"No…no it can't be. Point me George Weasley" The spell resulted in the same reaction. Red tipped and constantly spinning.

"No…How…" Harry couldn't think….the only family he had ever loved…gone..

But wait! Maybe something was wrong with the magic! Harry perked up instantly at the memory of his scourgify failing to completely remove the blood and guts from his clothes.

"Point me Harry Potter." He cast. The wand spun immediately towards him, tip glowing bright white. Harry frowned at the spell working as intended.

"Point me Guillermo." He tried, not knowing the Vatos leader's last name. Instead, he pictured the man's face in his mind. The wand spun once before pointing off to the right, basically in the direction of the cafeteria. The green eyed wizard watched as the wand moved its position slightly, following the target.

Harry quickly canceled the spell, sucking in a ragged breath. The spell _was_ working correctly….which meant…

"Merlin" Harry cried, his tears beginning to come anew. That brief second of hope he had, had been shattered like the mirror in his first year.

His family really was dead.

"Point…point me Author Weasley." Harry said quietly. The tears dripping off his face and onto his hand didn't impede the slowly spinning, red glowing wand.

"Oh God! Ginny! Point me Ginny!" the young boy yelled, stopping the wand before casting the spell again. He shut his eyes and prayed, prayed to anything that would listen that his wand would stop glowing red. Sure he had broken up with her….and they hadn't really picked up where they had left things. But he still cared for her deeply. She was his friend, a member of his family… He stared at his wand, watching its red glowing deathspin. The Weasley clan…gone, dead while he….while he slept for Merlin sakes! How could this have happened!?

"Please….please, point me Hermione Weasley." He whispered, wishing harder than he had ever wished for anything before in his life. He had missed their wedding….he hadn't been there for his two best friend's most important moment…but he still hoped he could make it to her before…..

Harry let his agonized sobs out completely when the wand glowed red before uninterruptedly revolving. He threw his wand across the room before collapsing back onto the bed. Exhausted, mentally and emotionally, numb, and all alone, the wizarding savior cried himself to sleep. He wouldn't awaken for close to thirty six hours.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~**

Harry had a bad few days after that. It was only later that he realized that he was an exception to the standard procedure. Normally, people got right to work 'doing their part'. But Harry had been left alone for close to two days. One thing going in his favor was his refusal to eat any food. Taking up no resources, no one complained that he had gotten 'special treatment'. He could almost hear Snape saying in his best condescending voice, _"Always above the rules, aren't you Potter?" _Hunger finally got him out of his funk, forcing him to leave the safety of 'his' room and rejoin the world…as shattered as it was.

When he had left his room about midday, two days after his talk with Guillermo, he had grabbed his wand on the way out. He didn't even pause to think about seeing if the spell would locate Teddy. He couldn't bare the answer, he just wasn't strong enough. Maybe…maybe he could try it later.

Apparently, news that he had been given 'the talk' had traveled fast. As he entered the more populated cafeteria he had a lot more people nod at him in respect, many remembering the day they realized nothing would ever be the same.

After a brief lunch, Harry had hunted down Felipe in order to find out what he could do. He had learned over the summer after his fourth year that he didn't do well when he dwelled on things. Right now, he had more than enough issues that would make him go insane, if he had the time to stew over them. Harry just needed some time to…to cope with what he now knew.

In the end, there had been little that needed done that day, so Harry helped to clean up the kitchen and cafeteria after the midday meal. He had gotten partnered with the teen boy, Miguel he learned, that he had seen on his first day there. Even he must have picked up on Harry's mood, not saying anything about their last encounter.

It was through him that Harry learned how badly off the Vatos were. They were running out of everything really. Medical supplies for injuries, ammo for the guns, and food. Food seemed to be their worst problem, they were running out fast. Miguel had told him the food Felipe and Jorge (the other man who saved him) had brought wouldn't last a day and a half. Harry was gobsmaked at that. Thirty cans of food wouldn't last four meals? While his portion hadn't been very large, he hadn't seen anyone with more food than he had gotten. At the time, Harry was fairly impressed at how even everything had appeared.

How could they go through so much food? He had only seen maybe a total of ten people. It was three days later, about a week with the Vatos that he learned he learned what was happening.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: One and a half weeks ago, morning )~~~~~~~~~~~**

Harry had officially been on cooking duty for thirty five minutes. Even though they were mostly 'safe' inside, people didn't make a lot of noise. The fear of attracting the dead was always in the back of people's mind.

So when the door banged open loudly, shattering the near silence, Harry was rightfully startled. He turned around, ready to tell off the hungry bloke wanting to know about the food he was expecting. Instead, what he found was an elderly lady looking slightly panicked.

"You're not Felipe." She stated.

"No…I'm Harry."

"I need sugar, it's an emergency!" She practically yelled. Harry, not knowing the woman or what she was talking about turned and headed towards where he had last seen the sugar packets. He might not know what was going on, but she did say emergency.

"What's wrong? " Harry asked as he opened up the pantry.

"It's Mr. Andrews. He's having an episode. " The old lady replied, calming down slightly after seeing him helping. Finding the small stack of packets, Harry removed half and turned back towards the lady. Before he had a chance to ask another question she beckoned with her hand before turning and walking off. Harry lurched forward, not anticipating her sudden departure. He exited the kitchen just in time to see her go around a corner.

_'__Fast old bat'_ he thought as he practically sprinted to catch up. He found her waiting for him next to a door he hadn't been through before.

"What kind of an _episode_ are you talking about? How will sugar help"? He questioned.

"He's diabetic. His blood sugar is low, come on." She responded while opening the door and walking through. Harry followed a few steps before he stopped. He was standing inside some type of auditorium, surrounded by old people. And not just 'aged' people, _old,_ old people. His first thoughts went immediately to Headmaster Dumbledore. He had been the oldest man Harry had ever seen. Now though…..

Harry had his thoughts broken when the old lady grabbed him by the arm and drug him towards a man laying on his back. Once beside him, the lady let Harry go and started at him expectantly.

Harry tried to articulate how he didn't know the first thing to treating a man in diabetic shock.

"Uhh…." Was all he could get out, unfortunately.

"The sugar, the sugar boy! Put the sugar in his mouth. Under his tongue!" The elderly lady commanded. He felt all of three years old as he complied with her order. Ripping open a packet, he opened the unresponsive man's mouth gently before pouring the sugar under and on the man's tongue.

"Do another one, he needs two."

"I'm not sure…." Harry started to protest before being cut off.

"He's needed two before, so give him two!"

Sighing, Harry did as instructed. About thirty seconds after the second packet, Mr. Andrews' eyes began to flutter and open for brief moments. Harry took several steps back when Mr. Andrew's beside was swarmed with worried looking elderly, all talking at the same time. Looking around, he counted at least twenty old aged pensioners in the room.

_'__So that's where the food is going…I never would have guessed.'_ Harry thought, a bemused smile on his face. This was certainly not a situation he had expected when he woke up this morning. At first, he had thought Guillermo and his leadership was taking more food than the others. Harry hadn't been convinced that was what was going on though. The man just…he didn't seem the type. Now though, now he knew. He was about to ask a few questions before he was roughly grabbed from behind and spun around.

Guillermo, Felipe, Marcus, and two other Vatos members were all armed and all were glaring hard at him.

_'__Well bollocks'_ he thought.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The following conversation had been fairly nerve wracking. After he had been hustled out of the room by the four men, Felipe having stayed behind to check on Mr. Andrews, he was immediately cornered with all manner of firearm pointed at his face.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: A week and a half ago, morning )~~~~~~~~~~~**

"I told you not to wander Harry…." Guillermo started, his tone harder than Harry had heard before. Harry held his hands up in surrender and appeared as non-threatening as possible. He recognized the glint in the man's eyes for what it was. Protectiveness.

"I didn't wander," Harry started, "that lady came in and said there was an emergency. She was looking for Felipe, but he had changed shifts with me…so I was there and I helped. End of story"

Guillermo and the others glared at Harry for several moments. Meanwhile, the green eyed wizard hadn't taken his gaze off the Vatos leader. He knew, from personal experience, how irrational people could be when they were protecting something they cared about. Hell, Harry had stormed the Ministry and fought Voldemort's inner circle because he thought Sirius was in danger.

"I wouldn't hurt them Guillermo…" Harry offered. Guillermo only glared in return, his finger still on the trigger to the pistol he held in his face.

"What do you think then?" he asked after several heartbeats.

"What do I think of what? " Harry questioned, slightly bewildered.

"What do you think about the situation? About the old people?" Guillermo demanded.

"I think…" Harry started, pausing to formulate his response, "I think I now know why your food is running out so quick." He finished, saying the first thing that came into his head. The four Vatos members' harsh glares were replaced with confusion.

"What?" The Vatos leader asked.

"Err…well Miguel told me the food that had been brought back on a trip, thirty cans or something, wouldn't even last two days. I couldn't figure out why….now I know."

"That's it?" Guillermo asked, his tone hard once more.

"Uhhh…yeah? What else should there be?"

"Nothing else? No complaint we are 'wasting' resources? You don't want to let them fend for themselves? No 'they are weighing us down?'" He demanded harshly, his accent getting thicker as he spoke.

Harry just stood there with a disgusted expression.

"Bloody hell no, I don't think any of those things. What do you take me for?" Harry demanded back, irritated at the assumptions these men were making. They may have saved him, but he would be damned if he let anyone even _think_ he would abandon innocents.

"You wouldn't be the first! Others have, some still do." He responded, causing Harry's irritation to completely deflate. It finally had dawned on him what was going on. They were afraid, of what, Harry didn't completely know, but he could see it now. Protectiveness and fear…a perfect combination for overreactions. But still, Harry could understand now where Guillermo was coming from. Others had said those things, and, in reality, the Vatos didn't really know Harry that well.

Harry lowered his hands and glared fiercely before speaking.

"I don't understand this world yet…or my place in it. But I do know, with every fiber of my bloody being, that I would _never _do any of those things. I would _never_ stand by and let innocents suffer and die. I haven't before, and I sure as shite won't start now!" the Boy Savior said seriously, his 'saving people thing' and Gryffindor courage empowering his statement.

For a brief second, less time than the blink of an eye, Guillermo could have sworn he saw the teen's eyes glow. When his mind caught up to the though, the glow was gone. The Vatos leader couldn't truly swear that he saw it, it was over that quick.

His words were effective though, causing Marcus and the two unnamed Vatos members to look in Guillermo's direction. Almost immediately he had nodded and everyone lowered their guns. Harry's breathy sigh was almost amused.

"Is this going to be a common occurrences 'Ermo?" Harry asked with a crooked smile. The man in question smirked while the other three snorted at the irony of the question.

"Naw Harry…we had to be sure, you understand?" He asked, Harry only nodded in return. He watched as Guillermo drug a hand through his hair, waving the others away.

"We have to be careful Harry, I wasn't kidding when I said the strong still take from the weak. We've had to fight off attacks before…one just a few days before you came around." Guillermo continued, the apology, while unspoken, was clear in the other man's eyes.

Harry simply smiled and bumped his shoulder into the shorter man before tracking back towards the kitchen.

"I get it, you're protecting them. To be honest, I am glad this happened." Harry said, enjoying the look of total confusion on the older man's face.

"Why? Are you loco or do you like guns shoved in your face?" He asked, incredulously.

Harry laughed as he started walking into the kitchen.

"No, I don't like that," he said over his shoulder, "No…I thought you or your guys were taking more food than the others. You know, 'privileges' and such. I should have guessed, you're too skinny to be stealing food!" Harry finished with a laugh, entering the kitchen. He shut the door to Guillermo's loud laughter.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Everything changed after that incident. Harry and Abuela, the woman who had drug him to save Mr. Andrews, got along famously. Since he was 'in the know' now, the Vatos gang was able to get back to their normal routine and she loved to work in the kitchen. He had even gotten on Miguel's good side, despite their first meeting. That had been easy really. After volunteering to cook the meals for the week, Harry had started teaching Miguel how to cook. He had actually taught a few members, but Miguel was always there when Harry was cooking. Apparently he was a 'good teacher', Harry suspected Miguel came around so much because he let him 'taste test' the food that he was cooking. They still had a good time making fun of each other's accents, but it had transformed from insult to inside joke.

The sudden change in the Vatos had surprised Harry, really. He wouldn't have pictured the Vatos gang as being welcoming to people who couldn't do much more than take up resources, of which there were precious few. What it had proven to Harry was that, even though the world went tits up and civilization fell, there were still good people out there.

It gave Harry hope that he would find some of his friends. He still hadn't found the strength to check for others with the locator spell, he was still trying to process the emotions from the first time he cast it. Little by little, he was able to come to grips with the harsh reality he now faced. That hadn't stopped him from crying himself to sleep multiple nights, however.

In the meantime, things were looking up for the Vatos. Once Harry had all the facts and Guillermo accepted his stance about the old ones, he had been allowed to move freely through the compound. It hadn't clicked until a day, after the 'reveal' Harry liked to call it, that he had a huge amount of supplies that could help. His trunk held a fully stocked kitchen as well as the bag of medical supplies he had found. The problem was, how could he utilize both without drawing attention to his magic?

Harry imagined the reaction he would get if he walked into the kitchen with a bag full of fresh groceries….

_'__Yeah….not going to happen.'_

In the end, Harry had come up with the perfect solution.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: Eight days ago)~~~~~~~~~~~**

Harry had finally convinced Guillermo to let him go on a supply run. He was sure the man was suspicious of his behavior but he allowed Harry to go anyway. The wizard knew he was placing a strain on his recently developed trust with the Vatos leader…but if he played it right then everything would work out in the end.

He had ended up being teamed with Felipe, Marcus, and a member named Samuel. At dawn he had been issued a long K-Bar knife, a bag, and a flashlight before the four of them had headed out into the city. Around half way into the trip, Harry had asked if they could take a detour and head over to where Felipe and Jorge had found him. After some begging and a few promises that it would be quick, Felipe agreed, but only after the main run was done.

As it inched closer and closer to nighttime, the four man supply team arrived near the Atlanta General hospital with only a little light left in the day, which suited Harry perfectly. As the three other men got out and began searching, Harry snuck off into one of the many abandoned buildings in the area. Making sure he was alone and the area was free of biters Harry still chose to be cautious. Pulling out his wand, he cast the **Notice-Me-Not** charm, just to be safe. He then immediately unsrunk his trunk and opened it.

After taking out the bag of various medical supplies he had found in the hospital, he closed the lid and pushed his wand into the first wandhole. When he opened the lid for the second time his kitchen came into view. Harry spent a fair amount of time deciding on what to take out that wouldn't look too suspicious. In the end, he settled on only removing the decidedly muggle food containers and muggle preserved snacks. Snapping open his bag, he started pulling as many cans out as he could safely carry. He owed a lot to the Vatos, and he never broke his word. If he had the means, he would help people as much as possible.

As he piled the cans into the bag the sun continued to lower, sinking the entire city in eerie darkness. Getting worried about the time he was away, Harry pulled one last handful of cans out before snapping the trunk shut and shrinking it again. It was then that Harry heard a bottle clink against the concrete floor. Muttering a quick **lumos** charm caused Harry to pale when the light revealed exactly what had disturbed the bottle.

Six biters were shambling towards Harry's position. Frantically, he recounted how loud he had been. He hadn't made _that_ much noise! And the coast had been clear, there were no biters in sight when he started!

His panic abated somewhat when he remembered that he had cast the **Notice-Me-Not** charm. Even animals were subjected to the effects of the spell. These biters would be too….right? Harry didn't want to stand around and find out. Tucking his trunk back under his shirt, he cast a quick **Silenco** on his feet before he moved over to once side, believing that the slow biters would continue to where they last heard him making noise.

Harry's panic renewed itself when the biters _turned towards him_ and picked up speed.

_'__What!?'_ he screamed in his head while unstrapping his loaned knife. He remembered the issue he faced in the stairwell and, now that he had another means of killing biters, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Harry braced himself for combat, wand in the left hand and knife in the right, his adrenalin coursing through his veins. The first biter, the faster of the six it seemed, was within arms reach a few seconds later. Holding his knife in a death grip, he threw his arm out quick, burying the knife in the biter's skull. He nearly heaved at the sound of bone and rotted brain squishing and the oozing goo that started to come out around the knife straightaway. In his adrenaline filled panic, Harry had made a critical mistake that Marcus had warned him about when discussing biter fighting.

Never put the blade in too far.

Now, Harry had to struggle to remove the knife from the skull of the terminated biter. After the first pull had failed, Harry took no additional chances and quickly put his left hand on the biter's head. As he pushed with the left and pulled with the right his wand light began to flicker, going dim before powering back up again.

With a sickening squelch, the knife finally came free of the dead skull. It wasn't a moment too soon either as three of the remaining five biters advanced within arm range. Backing up and to the side, he put some distance between him and two of the other walkers, leaving only one within striking distance. Lashing out, Harry managed to eliminate the biter without getting his knife stuck again.

As Harry stared down the remaining four biters, the calvary arrived in the form of Samuel and Marcus. The two veteran biter killers made short work of the four walking dead. It was easier for them since the biters had been focused on Harry. He quickly extinguished his wand light before he let out the breath he had been holding. He started to cancel his other charms when Samuel's gravelly voice stole his attention.

"What the hell wer you thinking, going off by 'erself" Samuel whispered furiously, shocking Harry. He hadn't had time to cancel his **Notice-Me-Not **charm or the **Silenco**….they shouldn't be...well noticing him. But sure enough, Marcus was glaring at him while Samuel sneered.

"Wha' were you looking for yur buddies? Huh? Gunna betray us rat!?" Samuel continued, taking a step closer to Harry. Marcus held out a hand to stop Samuel's advance, not taking his eyes off of the young wizard.

"What you doing Harry?" Marcus asked in his broken English. Confused and more than a little concerned, Harry figured honesty was the only thing appropriate at this point.

"I…uh…was getting my supplies. I found em before Felipe found me and I..uhh…" Harry stuttered adrenalin, shock, and concern about his magic messing with his articulation skills. Marcus was still staring at him with a hard gaze.

"I…I didn't trust you all until recently….I stashed some supplies I found in the hospital and I…well I know you need them so…I came to get them." Harry finished, gesturing to the two bags on the floor.

Ok…so mostly the truth. It hurt Harry a little to lie to Marcus, the man had turned out to be a decent guy. He felt like crap when he saw the hurt expression on Marcus' face before he turned to look at the bags.

"Lets get then." He finally said, grabbing the heavier of the two bags. Harry rushed forward and picked up the second one before following Marcus back to the truck, Samuel following closely behind.

The ride back had been silent save for a short conversation in Spanish between Felipe and Marcus.

When they got back to base, Harry and Samuel unloaded the truck while, Marcus and Felipe took Harry's two bags and talked with Guillermo, who had looked into both bags with a frown. Shortly before finishing, Guillermo called Samuel over. The surly man was only with the other three for a few minutes before he sent a glare back over at Harry and walking off. After the unloading was done, Harry approached the three men with a little trepidation. He had barely opened his mouth when Guillermo held up his hand.

"I thought we had _trust_ amigo." He started, his face betraying the hurt he had felt. The man had come to like Harry and his wit. He was a hard worker and his little speech after learning about the old ones and made the man respect Harry, which was hard to accomplish so soon.

"Look, I get it ok? Marcus told me. You didn't trust us. I get it, I do. We lock you up, stick guns in your face, several times. I get it. But running off in the middle of the night? That's a wound Harry, a wound."

"Look I didn't want…" Harry stated before being interrupted.

"What's yours is yours Harry, we don't take. We aren't like the looters. You don't have to worry about your stuff, its yours so you keep it." He said, resignation in his voice. They really could use those supplies…but he would be damned if he became like the looters who have hounded them in the past. He ran something better here and he wouldn't mess it up, would not take that one step down a slippery slope. His internal monologue was interrupted by Harry's frustrated sound.

"Raagh! That's not it at all 'Ermo! Not in the slightest!" Harry practically yelled. He had it all wrong! Bah! How could his plan have turned into this?

"I wasn't _running _away! I was getting the supplies you need! I told Marcus, I didn't trust you guys until recently. Look I'm sorry alright?" Harry quickly apologized upon seeing the hurt on all three men's faces.

"It's just, you told me the world ended and…things are different now. Your speech about doing the right thing, well it was all just words before I found out about the old timers. Then, then I knew you could be trusted, that you were honorable men." Harry explained in a rush. "So I got put on the supply team and convinced Felipe to take me back near the hospital. Everything in those bags is yours. I was going to explain where I got the stuff to you but…things happened." He finished lamely.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? " Guillermo asked after a short silence.

"I didn't know it was still there did I?" Harry quickly fibbed, "I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."

The three Vatos members looked intently at Harry, searching for any sign of deception. Harry did his best to show how he really felt, pleading with his eyes. That was one good thing about how expressive Harry's face was. It was difficult for him to lie, but his sincerity always showed up on his face.

"All of this…is for us?" Guillermo hesitantly asked. He hadn't' seen any sign of Harry being insincere, but this was _a lot_ of supplies…a gold mine, a minor miracle.

"Yeah mate, it's all Vatos'. There are about forty super-sized food cans, fifteen or so bags of jerky and about thirty packets of crisps….errr chips? Chips." Harry replied earnestly, causing all three men's eyes to go wide. Harry didn't mind the amount, which had only been about a quarter of his muggle supplies. He had been afraid that the amount might become suspicious, so he limited himself from giving half his food away.

"I'm not sure what all medical supplies are in the bag, I just grabbed everything I could find. But it's all yours."

The three Vatos members were openly staring at Harry now. Under normal circumstances, they would have been suspicious of such generosity but, because it was Harry, they knew it was genuine. Harry began to shift nervously under the attention. Guillermo caught on to his discomfort and quickly tried to break the tension.

"Thank you Harry, Thank you." He said, the words unsuccessfully conveying the gratitude he and his companions felt.

Harry's wide smile showed that he had gotten the message loud and clear. The new supplies were immediately counted and put safely away and laughter could be heard deep into the night.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~**

It had been eight days after that event and Harry had been cooking ever since. In reality, most of the Vatos members either didn't know how to cook, or were physically unable to anymore. That had left a very bland menu consisting of mostly broth and anything they could catch. Two days after Harry started cooking he had been permanently assigned to kitchen duty. That suited him fine really, allowing him to dip into how own supplies to cook, lessening the strain on the Vatos' supplies.

Not that they needed to know that. Miguel had learned to be quite about the 'abnormalities' he saw on a semi constant basis. One time Harry had pulled a truffle out of his pocket before giving it to Miguel. Oh yes…he kept quite, he didn't want anyone interfering with the little treats he got now and then.

Thinking about Miguel brought Harry back to the present and a frown formed on his face. He had learned that Felipe and Jorge had been on a supply run and that Miguel had gone with them, only for them to be ambushed after finding some guns. Harry had been trying to get Miguel interested in doing runs, if only for him to get the experience to survive later.

He was now kicking himself because Miguel was missing. Kidnaped! And Felipe had been injured. They had returned with one of the ambushers around midday yesterday, so Harry had been stuck in the kitchen. He had only learned about it from, surprise surprise, Samuel. The two never did get along after the supply run incident. Harry didn't care much though, he rarely saw him and he never complained about the food. He hadn't been able to talk to Felipe or Jorge either. They had both gone back out almost immediately to look for the captured member. Guillermo hadn't let him anywhere near their prisoner. Smart man, that Guillermo.

Still, Harry was worried for both new friends and old. He hadn't been involved in a looter attack yet but he had heard the horror stories. To think that Miguel was in their hands, or his magical friends….Harry wished he could do something. He would have tried, if Felipe and Jorge hadn't captured a hostage. He wouldn't lose another friend without trying his damnedest to save them. They had some leverage at least. Harry sighed as he continued to stir. Half an hour later he looked up when he heard the door open, only to see a small, young Asian boy enter the kitchen followed closely by Marcus.

Suspecting they had a new member, Harry stated the conversation with the most logical question.

"Who are you…." Ok, so it was a little rude. They _had_ just interrupted his cooking.

"You're British?" He blurted out, his face showing his surprise. The young Asian quickly composed himself.

"Sorry. Uhh I'm Glenn. With two Ns" The Asian, Glenn, said a nervous smile on his slightly colored face. Ahhh…yes, embarrassment and nerves. Harry remembered what it was like being the new guy here.

"I'm Harry." He responded with a smile, trying to be warm and welcoming, "and British, yes. I would shake your hand but I'm cooking. Where did you come from Glenn? I haven't seen you before."

"I uhh, came in with two other guys?"

"Well, welcome. Felipe found you?" Harry asked.

"Maybe…I didn't catch their names…" Glenn replied, shifting nervously. A lot more nervous than he should be…

"Describe them then. It could have been Jorge, or Carlito." Harry half asked, half demanded with narrowed eyes. Something was off.

"Errr well I don't know…I didn't look at his face…oh he had an arrow stuck in his butt!" Glenn replied, slightly less nervous at the end.

Harry stopped stirring.

The dots immediately connected in Harry's brain. His worry over his friends, both new and old and made him slow on the uptake. He could have punched himself in the face. He glanced quickly at Marcus and noted his strong frown.

_'__Yep….'_ Harry thought, _'This _isn't_ a new member.'_

"….You shot Felipe with an arrow?" he growled, glaring at the Asian boy.

"No! No, the other guy in our group, Daryl, he's the one with the bow!" The Asian, Glenn, responded hastily, waving his hands in front of him as if to ward off the insinuation.

_'__A person named Daryl huh?'_ Harry thought, mentally putting said person automatically onto his _'Hex their bollocks off'_ list.

"So you are a part of the group that shot Felipe…." Drawled, doing a decent impression of Draco in their younger years. He even had the eyebrow raised. It worked exceedingly well too, if the tenfold increase in nervous twitches from _Glenn_ was any indication.

"Errr….I don't think I should have said that…."

"The same group that took the guns…" Harry continued.

"Hey now, we found them first…." Glenn tried to reason, only to fall silent from the pointed glare Harry sent his way.

"The same group that kidnaped Miguel…."

"Um…I don't really want to answer that one. The kid right? They won't hurt him. We aren't like that!"

Harry looked over at Marcus, who shrugged. He had a grim expression on his face as he looked at the Asian boy. Harry turned back to glare at this…Glenn.

…..

…...

"I don't think I like you very much, Glenn with two Ns." Harry concluded, restarting his stirring.

"Yeah, I've been getting that recently. " Glenn responded in dejection.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**A/N**

**And DONE! Whoo! Glenn is there! And poor Felipe….and Miguel! Harry is not a happy wizard…no he is not. I wonder what he is going to do when Rick comes in almost guns a blazin? Will Harry be at the confrontation? What will happen? I don't know! The story is writing its self!**

**I hope everyone liked this chapter. It's the longest one I have written and my first try at a flashback sequence. I will try not to use these too often but, just like in the Walking Dead, they will happen. I also think that I got rid of most of the errors. I couldn't spot any after the third run though. So sorry if I missed some!**

**Read and Review please! I really want to know what people thought of the chapter. Lets see if we can break 40 reviews! All comments are welcome. Except flames…I don't want them. Send me a PM if you want to flame me.**

**Shout out to reviewers:**

**Alice1985:** I appreciate the review! All your questions and ideas are good….but I can't tell you anything yet! This chapter touches upon some of it….but who knows….there might be more than meets the eye! Stay tuned!

**Fraewyn:** Thanks for the review! This chapter explained some of your question….but did it explain everything? Who knows! Stay tuned!

**Uoduck:** Thanks for the review Uoduck! Always a pleasure!

**SimFlyer:** Thanks for the review! Yeah, some things about Harry's magic is explained in this chapter. But remember, Harry was never one to know much about magic itself. Sure he knows spells, but magical theory and some of its core concepts are things he just doesn't understand. He was raised by muggles, after all! That and we never really saw him studying enough.

**fmoura98:** Thanks a bunch man! I appreciate you reviewing. Hopefully, the story can keep up the same atmosphere as the show does. I am trying to keep the same buildup, so tell me how that worked out. I hope you like this new chapter!

**Angel4EverLostInLife:** Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

**AnarchicMuse:** Glad you are enjoying the story! I purposefully left that hanging at the end of chapter two. Like most Walking Dead episodes, something happens and the Group doesn't know who is responsible right away. So I tried to keep things like that here.

Double thanks for the warning about the word 'zombie'! I took that into consideration but didn't really think about how NOT hearing the word just makes it….so much more scary. I don't want it like this. " What the hell are they? OH…zombies….yawn." I want it more like this. "What the hell are they? F*ck if I know! RUN! MAN RUN!"

While the cat was out of the bag, as it were, when Harry called them zombies in chapters one and two, I feel that NOT using the word from now on will cause the same mysterious feeling to settle over the entire story. After all, the HP world has inferi, and Harry personally had interaction with them.

**Yeong-wook:** That's again for reviewing! I appreciate it. I hope Harry finds Teddy soon too.

**darkest magic:** Thanks for the reviewing again! You may be on the right track….but I can't tell you anything! No hints! Sorry! The elder wand will be dealt with later though. Just not yet!

**lOoWardyoOl:** Thanks for the review! I am glad you liked it AND found it to be one of the better ones out there. I am very appreciative of your kind words. When I approached the story, I didn't want it to be like most of the others, wham, bam, Harry is in Rick's group I wanted it to be different. Stay tuned though, I have a whole BUNCH of twists I am going to throw around. Hopefully everyone will like them.

Also, you were the twentieth reviewer! Thanks a lot! My goal has been met, so here is a fresh batch of internet cookies for you!

**languid reader:** Hey thanks for the review! I would have sent you a PM but you didn't login, so I couldn't. And you were my twenty first review too! Thanks a whole bunch!


	5. An Unexpected Meeting

**A/N**

**Hey there readers! Here is the new chapter! I hope you all like it. A 13K+ chapter WOOO! My longest one yet!**

**We almost reached the 40 review mark! With this chapter, let's try and hit 50 total! Yeah! Go team! Go team! **

**So anyway, don't forget to read and review if you feel like it!**

**Without further interruptions, on with the story!**

I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters… Or any of the Walking Dead characters either… If I had, Carl would not have been shot and Lucius would have had a much bigger role in things, just saying. Shane would still be dead though… Yeah…As a doornail

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

_Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:_

_"So you are a part of the group that shot Felipe…" He drawled, doing a decent impression of Draco in their younger years. He even had the eyebrow raised. It worked exceedingly well too, if the tenfold increase in nervous twitches from Glenn were any indication._

_"Errr… I don't think I should have said that…"_

_"The same group that took the guns…" Harry continued._

_"Hey now, we found them first…" Glenn tried to reason; only to fall silent from the pointed glare Harry sent his way._

_"The same group that kidnaped Miguel…"_

_"Um…I don't really want to answer that one. The kid right? They won't hurt him. We aren't like that!"_

_Harry looked over at Marcus, who shrugged. He had a grim expression on his face as he looked at the Asian boy. Harry turned back to glare at this… Glenn._

_…__.._

_…__.._

_"I don't think I like you very much, Glenn with two Ns." Harry concluded, restarting his stirring._

_"Yeah, I've been getting that recently." Glenn responded, in dejection._

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry hadn't talked much to Glenn after the first conversation one day ago. His mind was on other things and, in all honesty, he was pretty pissed off. Having been kidnapped before, he really hadn't wanted anyone else to suffer the same thing he had. Granted, that was wishful thinking and not really possible…But to have it happen to a friend? An innocent young boy at that?

Harry was most displeased. To add to his unhappiness, he couldn't do anything to Glenn. Aside from the fact that they needed him as a hostage, Harry really didn't get the feeling Glenn was a bad person. That made Harry's position all the more irritating. He had nothing to lash out at.

"Keep cleaning Glenn… I want this whole place spotless and shiny!" Harry barked from the other side of the kitchen.

Okay, so maybe he could lash out a little. He grinned at little as he heard the Asian interloper huff in irritation before getting back to scrubbing the ground. Thinking back… maybe he had been too hard on Filch. Watching people scrub the floor WAS fun, after all.

The thought of Hogwarts instantly triggered a random memory of his friends and the antics they had been a part of, instantly replacing his happiness with sadness. As bad as it sounded, he had tried to… Just not think about some things from his past. The pain at remembering…He honestly didn't think he could feel worse than he did when Sirius died.

Harry shook his head, trying to physically clear the thoughts from his mind. He had more immediate things to worry about right now. Namely the possible impending attack, or cold-blooded murder of the youngest Vatos member.

_'Which brings me back to Glenn'_ Harry thought. It had taken a full day for Harry to calm down after meeting Glenn for the first time. He had finished preparing the meal, only to stalk out of the kitchen to hunt down Guillermo. The Vatos leader explained that he immediately knew that if they didn't use their hostage as a laborer, it would be a waste. The problem was, Guillermo had to be carefully when dealing with Glenn; he had to control the information the Asian compiled. It wouldn't do to have Glenn learn potentially damaging information, only to run off and tell his friends. The decision ended up being to force Glenn to do the cleaning…

That being said, there was only one place that didn't have any sensitive information…The kitchens. Both a blessing and a curse. Harry had to suffer being in the man's presence. On the flip side, it gave Harry a chance to interrogate the man, which was good.

Through his questions, Harry was able to ascertain the man's age. He had been calling him 'boy' in his mind when he was actually older than Harry! Another tidbit the boy savior had learned was Glenn's last name. Glenn Rhee….

After all the oddly named people he had met in the Wizarding World….'Rhee' wasn't that bad, in the long run. Gilderoy Lockhart….enough said.

But that was it. It seemed, after several days in captivity and after Harry's first conversation with him, Glenn had clammed up. He couldn't get any more information out of him. Which was smart, really. It infuriated Harry….but he couldn't deny the benefits of not informing your 'enemy' of possible vital information. Harry wanted…needed information, needed to know if Miguel really was safe as Glenn had claimed. With the Asian's silence however… well regardless, he was going to get his information one way or another.

All these factors combined had led Harry to the plan he was currently in the process of completing. He excused himself from the kitchen for a trip to the bathroom, letting Marcus continue his over watch of the hostage. He returned a few minutes later.

Harry sighed before clearing his throat and addressing Marcus.

"I can watch over him for a little while Marcus. Take a break, you must be bored stiff!"

Marcus opened his mouth to respond, only for him to suddenly yawn widely.

"Don't worry big guy, go take a rest. He isn't going anywhere." Harry continued with a small smile on his face.

"Gracias Harry." Marcus responded with a small grin of his own. Harry just made a shooing motion, a command Marcus readily accepted. Once the door clicked shut, he turned back to the Vatos' captive.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Can't be wasting medical supplies on a dehydrated prisoner now can we." Harry said in a reasonable and authoritative voice. Glenn looked up from his position on all fours with a brief smile. The smile soon vanished at the hard look Harry was giving him.

"Go sit on the stool Glenn, and stay where I can see you." Harry said as he pointed towards a stool in the corner of the room. It was as far away from everything sharp as you could realistically get inside a kitchen. Once the Asian hostage was seated, Harry picked up a clean glass off the counter and filled it with water. Turning, Harry only took his eyes briefly off Glenn before he was in view again. The young wizard wasn't concerned about being attacked from behind by Glenn; he was more concerned about keeping the glass of water out of the hostage's view for a moment.

Slowly walking over, Harry stopped outside of arm's length before putting the glass down and backing away. Glenn seemed saddened by his cautiousness and his face showed it. He probably wasn't used to people being afraid of him. Who would be afraid of the short, soft-spoken Korean anyway? Harry made a small gesture with his hand that had Glenn instantly taking the glass and guzzling the water. He had been working hard on scrubbing the floor and had worked up a strong thirst.

Harry looked on with a smile as Glenn drained the glass. Glenn put the glass back down when it was empty and smiled back at Harry.

"Thanks Harry." He said sincerely. It may have been small, but it was still a kindness.

"It was more for my benefit than yours but you are welcome regardless." Harry responded, watching Glenn intently. The young Asian man was slightly confused by his current minder's comment. What would he get out of watching him drink a glass of water? Did he have a fetish or something?

But man was he sleepy. He must have worked harder than he thought.

"I must've done more than I thought." He said out loud, slurring his speech ever so little. Harry only smirked in response.

_'Perfect'_

"So Glenn, did you shoot Felipe?" Harry asked conversationally.

"No, wasn't me." Glenn responded, his eyes slightly glassy.

Harry frowned in though as he decided which question to ask next.

_'Better to double check everything'_

"Okay…who shot Felipe?" Harry asked.

"Daryl shot him."

_'Well at least I have confirmation on who to hex silly. Best to triple check to be sure it's working. Control questions…control questions…'_ Harry pondered. He suddenly had an idea, and an evil smile formed on his lips.

"How often do you play with yourself?"

"Almost every night." Glenn responded in a trance.

"Why did I tell you that?" He asked groggily, as if he was still waking up from a dream.

Harry ignored his question. He was the one doing the interrogation, after all.

"Are you a virgin?"

"Yes" His eyes were still very glassy with a faraway look in them.

"Why did I tell you THAT?" He asked again, slight concern apparent in his voice.

"What were you doing in the city?" The wizard asked, causing his captive to enter a trance like state again.

"We were looking for our guns and Daryl's brother." The Asian man responded before turning his head sluggishly to look at Harry.

"What's happening?" He whimpered.

"What's Daryl's brother's name?"

"Merle." The Asian responded.

"I didn't want to say that…" Glenn said confusedly to himself.

Harry didn't pay attention to Glenn's discomfort as he pondered the information he was getting. '_Merle and Daryl huh? Brothers… Two to watch out for most certainly'_

"Do your friends have Miguel?" The green-eyed wizard asked next.

"I don't know." Glenn responded. Harry noticed his eyes got slightly less glassy and his answer was much quicker.

_'The effects must be wearing off! I only had enough for one dose!'_

"Assume they did have him. What would they do to him?" Harry demanded.

"Not much."

"Elaborate." Harry growled. The answers were getting less informative.

"I don't know."

_'Damn it all!'_ Harry raged in his head. He was pants at potions. He should have listened to his instructor and bought the damn thing instead of trying to make it himself.

"Will they hurt him?" Harry asked, frustration evident in his voice. Time was running out and he still needed more answers!

"No! We aren't like that." Glenn responded forcibly. But could Harry believe it? Were the effects still active? Only one way to be sure…

"How many people are in your group?" Harry demanded with a glare.

"33, five of us in the city, the rest back at camp" Glenn responded, fear slowly creeping into his drowsy eyes.

"Stop… I can't… My friends…" He said, slurring his words brokenly.

"How many of your members have guns?" Harry continued relentlessly.

"Less than 12…."

"Who is your leader?"

"Shane…or Rick…I." Glenn started before struggling to screw his mouth shut…and keep it shut. The look of confusion was slowly being replaced with fear and astonishment. Harry knew that the potion would do no more good now; Glenn had already started to fight the effects. The young wizard moved quickly to Glenn's side before prying open the Asian's mouth and pouring the antidote in.

Glenn fell asleep near instantaneously. Normally, administering the antidote only caused the witch or wizard to fall into a light doze. But with Muggles…the antidote nearly always knocked them unconscious, which turned out to be a good thing really. It was so much easier to question a muggle and have the end result be that they thought it had only been a dream. And, honestly, what muggle would willingly talk about dreams where they spilled their 'innermost secrets'?

Glenn would need waking up though…

_'Time for some acting'_ Harry thought happily as he filled up the glass of water.

Glenn awoke with a started yelp, his face dripping and his hair stuck to his forehead.

"What the hell man! What was that?!"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his face a perfect portrayal of confusion while he innocently held the now empty cup.

"Why did you throw water on me! And those questions! What was up with those questions!?" Glenn half responded, half demanded.

"Err… What questions mate?" Harry asked, incredulousness tinging his voice.

_'I deserve an award!'_

"Whaa… What do you mean 'what questions?'! The ones you were just asking me!" Glenn replied, anger, fear, and confusion marring his fairly plain face.

"I asked you if you wanted a glass of water… But you were already asleep."

"But- But what about the other questions…?" Glenn asked, tapering off his question as the confusion over the situation intensified.

Harry glared hard at him.

"Listen chap, I gave you a little break. If you are going to act like a mental tosser then get back to work." He said, a strong amount of irritation in his voice. None of this would be needed if he knew how to obliviate people. Unfortunately, that would only be covered in his last year as a trainee Auror. So all he could do was trust in his acting skills. Harry had given Glenn almost double the dose of antidote. That, combined with the drowsiness caused by the actual potion…well, Harry hoped it would seem like Glenn had woken from a very vivid dream.

"But… But you just asked me all these questions! And I answered them! Why did I answer them?" Glenn retorted.

Harry let out an exasperated sigh, one he didn't need to fake. Trust the muggle to not go along with his careful planning! Bollocks!

"Look, if you think having a go at being barmy will help you, then you can right well quit it now. Blimey, are you trying to be cheeky? I let you nap; I let you sleep, only to have to listen to you still talking. Now you try and pull a fast one?" Harry asked, a frown on his face. Internally, he was ginning like a madman. His attempt at a distraction seemed to be going well. Glenn was looking more and more convinced, as well as confused, by the second.

"I don't even know what half that meant… Why do all you British guys talk like that?" He asked.

"You having a mickey? Met a lot of British chaps have yah?" Harry snarked before grabbing and throwing a new rag at Glenn.

"If you want to go spare, do it on your own two ticks!" he said, his anger genuine. He really was speaking the Queen's English…

"No! That's not what I… I thought you asked me… Never mind." Glenn started to explain before stopping. It sounded so stupid now that Glenn thought about it. What the hell did 'spare' mean? And, if he really had answered all those questions, why wouldn't Harry ask more? Why pretend he didn't know the answers. That seemed like a lot of effort for little return. Being kidnaped was exhausting and scary. Nightmares were a given in a situation like this, surely.

And really, as if there was something that could make him answer how many times he plays with himself! Right?

"It must have been a nightmare." Glenn said quietly to himself.

"Eh? What you on about now?" Harry asked while whooping in triumph inside. Veritaserum was such an interesting potion. It changed the mental state of the recipient so much that it was all too easy to convince the poor Asian Muggle that nothing had happened. Couple that with the weird sleep inducing effect on Muggles and…well here we are. It was almost too easy really and, because of that ease, Harry could easily see how it could be abused. There were reasons why its use was strictly controlled.

"Umm…Nothing. I just thought I would be more used to how British people talk by now, sorry." Glenn replied without looking up from his cleaning job.

"What do you mean by that? " Harry asked, ending the thick British accent he had adopted. The last comment Glenn had made had peaked Harry's interest for some reason. Something was telling him to pay attention.

"It's just, we have a few British tourists with our… Um…" Glenn began before pausing mid-sentence. Harry immediately understood why he had stopped. He still didn't want to give any information away… Which actually relived Harry. Now he knew for sure Glenn had believed his 'nap time' lie.

"You have British people in your group?" Harry asked, surprised. That wasn't something he had expected.

"One or two…yeah." Glenn hedged, keeping his focus on his cleaning. Glenn's admission had brought a whole new batch of questions, questions Harry couldn't ask now. He was curious about these 'British' group members of his… But if he asked, he knew Glenn wouldn't tell. And pushing too hard so soon after convincing him of his 'dream' would be unwise. Maybe he could ask tomorrow after breakfast.

The conversation stopped after that. Harry continued to watch Glenn clean the floor for the next two hours. Most of his attention was focused on thinking over the answers Glenn had given to his questions. He was happy that Glenn believed his group wouldn't hurt Miguel… But that still left… Oh, about six billon biters that could still attack him. Not to mention the actual looters in the area. Would the group defend someone who wasn't their own? Harry couldn't be sure. All the rules had changed now that survival was a day-to-day, minute-by-minute, second by second struggle. Harry looked up when he heard the door open to see that Marcus had returned, he even looked a little less tired.

"Perfect timing Marcus." Harry said, greeting the man with a nod. Marcus nodded back at Harry in response.

"You can take back over right?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Thank you for break." Marcus replied.

"Don't worry about it big guy. I'll see you at dinner!" Harry called over his shoulder as he quickly exited the kitchen. He had to find Guillermo so he could start formulating some kind of plan.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

"It's being taken care of Harry."

"I get that, I do. But what's the harm in me helping?" The young wizard asked, after he had been rebuffed.

"Resources Harry. We don't need to send more guys out." Guillermo responded as he looked over inventory sheets.

Harry tried a different tactic.

"But we don't have anyone out there, I saw the last truck had come back on my way here. If they are too tired, I can take a shift."

"We don't need to send people out, it's not like with the looters. It's all covered Harry."

"How isn't a hostage situation like a looter problem?" While Harry believed the answers he had gotten from Glenn, there was still the chance things could change. Or that Glenn didn't know his people well. Not to mention the myriad of other things that could go wrong. Better to be safe than sorry. Getting Miguel back to safety was paramount.

"They ain't looters Harry. And they want their man back. We will get the guns, I saw it in the man's eyes." He said, shooting down Harry's request again.

"How can you be sure? Are the guns even ours to begin with?"

"Felipe and Jorge saw them and had them in hand before they were attacked. Poor Felipe still can't walk right." Guillermo replied with a small smirk. Felipe may not think it now, but it WAS funny.

"That's not what Glenn says."

"Of course not Harry, they want the guns. He's lying." Guillermo waved off his concern whilst rolling his eyes. Guillermo liked Harry, he really did. But even after two weeks, Harry was still naïve about some things...

In a normal world, Harry would have agreed - but he had dosed Glenn with Veritaserum, so he knew Glenn wasn't lying. But how could prove it? Harry wanted to tear his hair out in frustration. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He had gotten his answers with no way to prove they were the truth.

Hang on…did he say….

"Wait a second. What do you mean you 'saw it in his eyes'? They came here already?" Harry asked in shock.

"Yeah, about a day ago." The Vatos leader responded.

"They came a day ago and you told them to leave?"

"Harry… The guns…"

"I DON'T CARE about the ruddy guns! They have Miguel! He's a kid Guillermo! You let him stay in their hands for guns!?" Harry yelled.

"Calm down Amigo. I told you, they aren't looters. They won't hurt him."

"How can you be sure? He's just a kid, he doesn't deserve to be left there!"

"Harry!" Guillermo barked, anger finally manifesting. "Miguel hasn't been a kid since the world ended! He grew up, he had too or he would be dead!" Guillermo yelled, "So stop acting like he didn't know the risks! Everyone knows the risks!" The Vatos leader continued.

"That doesn't excuse…"

"No, it doesn't. But that doesn't matter now does it? The decision has been made and they aren't looters. One's a cop for crying out loud. They aren't going to hurt Miguel. So calm down alright? We will get Miguel and the guns, and no one has to get hurt. They won't even put up a fight. " Guillermo said with conviction, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Trust me Harry." He said with a sideways smile.

Harry frowned in worry. While he did have Glenn's confession that his group wouldn't hurt the teen…that didn't remove the uneasy feeling he had. Anything could go wrong with a deal like this on a good day, doubly or triply now that the world had ended.

"I hope you're right about this Guillermo."

The Vatos leader sighed, taking his hand off Harry's shoulder before turning and walking away.

"Me too, amigo. Me too."

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry and Guillermo didn't talk for the rest of the day. Glenn also wasn't present when he was cooking the nighttime meal. The young wizard suspected Guillermo didn't want Glenn seeing Harry cook the large amount of food they needed in order to feed everyone.

After everyone was served, Harry ate his dinner quickly before retiring to his room. He didn't sleep though. Instead, he paced back and forth running the situation over in his mind. He replayed the answers Glenn had given to his questions as well as the conversation he had with the Vatos leader. Glenn had been with the group for who knows how long, but he was certain that whoever held him wouldn't hurt him. Guillermo was a fairly good judge of character, Harry had discerned during his stay. Both Glenn and the Vatos leader thought the same thing… But the young wizard was still on the fence. Things had just changed too much. So much that Harry still didn't know the true state of things. There was still bad out there in the world though, if the looters were anything to go by.

That thought really didn't help Harry's state of mind. It may be irrational, but having someone he knew and cared about in such a dire situation so soon after learning everyone he cared for was dead…

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. He was so irritated that he couldn't do anything about… Well anything! The world had ended and he had slept. His friends had died and he had slept. Humanity had crumbled - and he had slept! The current situation was just like when he was kept cooped up at his 'home' under an information blackout while his friends and teachers fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

The young wizard collapsed onto the bed in frustration. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Waiting was something he always had trouble doing. It had both come in handy at times and been a curse. His impulsiveness, while a perfect trait for Gryffindor, was often getting him into trouble. On the other side… It had been instrumental in saving not only his life, but also many others over time.

Thinking of Gryffindor brought to mind multiple memories of all the students of his house that he interacted with. It was a bittersweet moment when the memory of the Weasley twins testing their latest prank snacks popped to the forefront of his mind. Harry closed his eyes to keep the tears from falling. For all he knew, everyone he had ever talked to was dead. For all intents and purposes, Harry's magical world was dead. How could it live on? There was no way he could picture a living, happy world where the Weasleys were dead and gone, where his two best mates were dead.

Harry sat up suddenly, an idea in his mind. He quickly took his wand from his wrist holster. Harry may not be able to do anything about Miguel at the moment, but he could at least see if he was alive. He hesitated for a brief second before casting the spell.

"Point me Miguel." He said, concentrating on the boy's face. He really didn't know many people's last names… They just weren't given. Harry never pressed either.

The green eyed wizard let out the breath he had been holding when his wand lit up white and spun to point to the North East. Miguel was alive, that was good. According to the stories, all the people the looters had captured in the past were immediately executed to 'send a message'. The fact that the young Vatos teen was still alive lent credence to what Guillermo and Glenn had said.

Maybe there was hope after all?

Hope…the word brought so many different things to his mind. Harry's past always had a component of hope woven in somewhere. With the Dursleys under the cupboard, he had just hoped his family would love him. That hope had waned, only to be replaced by the hope of a fresh start and new friends at a school of magic. Magic! Harry was so enthralled at the time. He was grateful that many of the things he had hoped for ended up happening, and it was all because of Hogwarts and magic.

Even the bad things that happened from being in the magical world didn't stamp out the hope Harry had felt at times. Hell, even when he walked to his execution in the Forbidden Forest, it had been with the hope that his death would allow his friends to finally be able to face a mortal Voldemort. Hope that his friends would live through the war that had cost so much already.

It was this hope that gave Harry pause when he went to put his wand back in the holster. Aside from the shrinking and unshrinking of his trunk during that one supply run, he hadn't used his wand for anything. It was always on him just in case, but he just….

Using it would not only endanger his secret, but it would also keep reminding him of everything he had lost. Harry wasn't dumb, after all. He knew, deep down, that his godson was dead. That had to be true. The sad part was, Harry couldn't figure out if he should cry over the realization or be happy that the kid wouldn't have to live through… Well, this. The end of the world and all that.

Still, he had just checked the spell on Miguel, a kid he had met only two weeks ago. He just, didn't know if he could handle the confirmation. Without concrete proof, Harry could still hold on to that little shred of hope. If he was honest with himself, the small hope that he didn't _know_ Teddy was dead for _sure_, had been the only thing that had kept him going after that first terrible night. The young man, the savior of the Wizarding World would probably never say it out loud but he knew, deep down, that the only reason he hadn't ended it all that night was the hope that someone… Someone he cared about was still alive. He started to put his wand back in its holster before a thought caused him to pause halfway through.

_'It's just wishful thinking…' _Harry thought, disparaging himself for his false hopefulness. It had been the only thing keeping him in this world… But it was so fragile. Any hard look or deep questioning of it would shatter that little shard of hope into a million pieces. So he threw himself into anything he could think of. Cooking for the Vatos had then become his occupier. He could sit and allow the mind-numbing consistency of cooking and cleaning to just….keep him from questioning the one hope had left.

Didn't he owe it to Teddy though, to find out for sure? He was his Godfather… The result was a foregone conclusion… But knowing and _knowing_ were two such different things. Harry slowly moved his wand back out, only to stare at it as he continued to contemplate his next action. He came to a decision then. Truly, it really boiled down to what Harry wanted. Did Harry want definitive proof his godson was dead? He felt he did, he needed the proof so he could move on, or finally rest. He had no idea which way he might decide.

If he had no one to fight for, none of his friends and family alive…what was the point? Keep fighting so he could save the world? No, no, he had done that already and literally died in doing so. He had a choice then too, like he did now. The only difference was, back then he had friends and loved ones to protect. People he cared about to keep him going, to give him a reason to keep fighting when it all looked so dark and hopeless.

But could he end it all just like that? After all he had survived, all he had sacrificed to stay alive and get to where he was. After all the sacrifices his friends had made, his teachers, his mentors? Could he just walk away from it and…opt out of the whole mess?

Harry smirked humorlessly to himself. He had come into his room worried about Miguel originally. Now he was considering suicide after confirming the last of his family to be dead.

_'Maybe I'm not as strong as I thought'_ he pondered internally.

_'I owe it to myself…I owe it to myself to know all the facts. Then I can make a decision.'_

Nodding to himself, Harry put his palm up and placed the wand on it. He tried to take a deep, steadying breath to psyche himself up. He opened his mouth to say the incantation only to pause before he even made a sound, his nerve leaving him as the memories of his last point me spells flew to the front of his brain.

_'It's just a simple spell Harry, come on do it!'_ he chided himself for hesitating. He had to do this, he had decided. He had too. For his family, for his friends, and for himself. He needed to know, and that was that.

Pushing the memories of that terrible night aside, Harry took in another breath before opening his mouth.

"Point me Edward Lupin." He said thickly, a lump already forming in his throat. When the wand wouldn't stop spinning, the answer was clear. That was it then, they were all dead. His godson was dead! The pain in his chest was unimaginable. Harry had never felt such a strong urge to snap his bloody white glowing wand and shove the pieces into his heart before. He glared down at the offensively spinning object. In the past two weeks that damn stick had caused him more pain the all the Death Eaters together. It wouldn't be hard either... One small movement and the wand would be…

_'Wait, white?_' Harry's shocked thought tore through his body. He jumped up off the bed immediately, his wand clattering to the ground. The wizard just stared at it for a second before bending and snatching it up again. He had the wand back in the palm of his upturned hand faster than a Firebolt taking off.

"Point me Edward Lupin!" He called out, excitement warring with his cautious optimism.

Again, the wand glowed bright white before spinning slowly around on his palm. The spell had found him - had locked onto his magic.

…

…

"Merlin, Teddy's alive!" Harry shouted in glee. His godson was alive! He hadn't been this relieved since Fawkes had saved his life in the Chamber. He still had family that was alive! He had no idea where, but Teddy was alive! Harry whooped in excitement as tears silent steamed down his face. His eyes hadn't left the spinning wand since it had started its movement in his hand. Okay, so something was interfering with the location aspect of the spell, but that didn't matter as much because Teddy was alive! Harry instantly resolved to find him; it wasn't even a decision really. It didn't matter where or who he was with. He. Was. Going. To. Find. Him! End of discussion.

After checking several more times, he concluded that his godson was somewhere to the west of his current location. It was difficult to be sure, as the wand would keep rotating at a constant speed until it slowed somewhat when it pointed toward the west, only to pick up speed again a small turn later. Something was interfering with the spell, which, while inconvenient, meant that, odds are, there were magicals near him. Two miracles in one day!

Harry's prearranged night was changed in that moment from one of rest to one of preparation. While he appreciated his time with the Vatos and all that they had done for him, he had his mission now. And so, Harry planned long into the night and early the next morning. By the time he finally collapsed onto his bed, it was nearing five am, but he had accomplished a lot. The young wizard had taken inventory of everything he had in his trunk and had a rudimentary plan. Once the issue involving Miguel was handled, he would leave and head west as soon as possible. He had even set aside additional muggle packaged food to leave for Guillermo as a parting gift. Harry would have kicked himself if he could though, he couldn't believe he hadn't used the spell that night two weeks ago. If he could have recovered quick enough from his injuries, he would have taken a leaf from Dobby's book and punished himself severely.

_'I have to be strong that that! I will need to be strong to find Teddy.'_ He admonished himself internally. He had no excuse, he was just too weak to have cast the spell to find teddy. He couldn't have handled his death. And, at some point, he had even started to believe that Teddy was dead. How could a baby survive when people like Hermione died? It all seemed so stupid now. He had wasted two weeks - TWO WEEKS! - playing the part of an angsty teenager.

His exhaustion took over nearly the second his head hit the pillow. One event, one little spell, one family member alive, it had all been so emotionally draining. A small smile formed on Harry's lips as he moved closer and closer to sleep. His last thought before he slipped into unconscious was centered on his alive godson.

_'__I'll find you Teddy. I promise.' _

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry was startled awake when someone started pounding furiously on his door. He bolted upright, his wand in hand and pointing towards the noise. It took a few seconds for the wizard to come to his senses and remember where he was, all the while the person kept pounding.

Grumbling obscenities at whoever was on the other side of the door, he replaced his wand in his holster and hoisted himself out of bed. Even as he walked to the door, it was still being banged on loudly. As soon as Harry reached his destination, he threw open the door and glared at the perpetrator of the noise…Samuel.

Harry was not impressed.

"What the hell is your problem?" Harry asked heatedly. The two had never reconciled from that one supply run, not that either cared in the slightest.

"Where you been? Guillermo's been looking for ya!"

"Sleeping, obviously. I was up late, what's the problem? What time is it?"

"It's near midday, and your idiot self is the only one not on deck!" Samuel replied in anger. Harry was even _less_ impressed with the situation now.

"Ill get ready and start the meal. Sorry your highness, you are going to be eating late today." The young wizard said with a condescending tone. He had started to shut the door when Samuel forced it open again.

"Hey!" Harry yelled.

"Idiot! It's all hands on deck! We gots incoming!" Samuel yelled back, giving Harry pause. Incoming?

"Who?"

"Them putos who snatched our guns." Samuel replied

"And Miguel?"

"Guns are more important den that scrawny shit." Samuel said with a smug grin.

"You sir, are an aresehole. Where and when is the exchange going down?"

"Here and now _idiot!_ I'ts all hands on deck, are you slow? We gotta GO!" the Vatos member stated with a sneer before starting to walk off. Harry went back into his room to quickly grab his shoes and knife before running out and down the hallway. It was there that he spotted Jorge and Felipe heading towards the warehouse section.

"Guys! What's happening?" he asked once he caught up with the duo.

"A scout came in fifteen minutes ago and said a group was heading this way with Miguel and a ton of firepower." Jorge answered as he checked his gun's magazine.

"So Miguel is with them? Was he hurt?"

"We no know." Marcus responded.

"What about Glenn? Where is he?"

"We left him with Samuel for safe keeping."

"Wait what? Samuel? But he was…" Harry started to say only to pause as the three of them came upon the assembled gang.

Nearly every member (that wasn't old) was present and armed with one thing or another. For Harry, he had never seen such a sight. Thirty armed men, some had pistols, some had rifles, some had shotguns, and all the rest had some form of blunt weapon. Sure, he had seen most of them during meals, but they had never been armed as they were now. To say Harry was unimpressed would be to tell a bold faced lie. He had seen wizard fights in the war….but growing up with muggles he knew how much death and destruction could be thrown out of the myriad of rifles, pistols, and shotguns.

The moment he had to admire (and be partially disgusted by) the display of America's gun culture was ended when the warehouse door opened and three armed strangers entered along with one teenage Vatos member. Everyone around him shifted into a far tenser stance but Harry's vision instantly locked onto the teen. He was only slightly irritated when he noticed Miguel had a gag over his mouth, something most of the Vatos members considered at one point or another. His irritation was overshadowed by the proof that Miguel was in good health, or at least hadn't had any outwardly showing wounds. Truth be told, Harry had honestly feared that Miguel's mouth would get him in trouble with his captors. His assumption was seemingly close to the truth, if the gag was any indication.

His eyes traveled to the man Guillermo walked up to. The apparent leader, who incidentally was holding a bag full of guns, looked to be some type of police officer…but Harry wasn't versed enough in American police entities to place his uniform. His hat did look cool though. One thing was for certain, the man carried himself like every police officer he had ever come across. That and a man had to have the confidence of experience to walk into supposed enemy territory with only three men….or be really stupid.

Harry was betting on the former. He did a quick glance at the other two men. One seemed to be an out of shape black man with a shotgun while the other looked to be extremely capable in a physical fight, who also happened to have a shotgun.

"I see my guns, but they aren't all in the bag." Guillermo said with almost an air of innocence about him. Harry could already tell this was going downhill fast…If what Glenn said was true, then these people would fight for the guns.

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I told you that." The officer, whose name, according to Glenn, was either Rick or Shane responded in a no nonsense tone. Harry was instantly reminded of the many veteran Aurors he had met.

"Lets just shoot these fools ese, just unload on their asses ese." Felipe said as he leaned towards Guillermo's ear. The Vatos leader held up his hand in response, silencing Felipe. Harry narrowed his eyes at Felipe, angry and shocked he would even say such a thing. The fact that Miguel was in the line of fire didn't seem to matter to him….which Harry knew was false. The Felipe he knew was kind and gentle with his grandmother and his cousin Miguel. Which meant it was probably a bluff…but a stupid, risky one that could blow the whole thing out of proportion.

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of this situation…." The Vatos leader said, his tone both condescending and irritated.

"No…It's pretty clear." The officer, Shane if Harry was betting, responded before lowering his shotgun. He then quickly pulled a knife and cut the bindings on Miguel before shoving him forward into the sea of Vatos members.

"You got your man, I want mine." He said then. The ultimatum was clear even if it went unsaid. Harry thought the deal was fair, seeing as taking the guns from them would be stealing, plundering, looting, and Guillermo had no tolerance for that. But…that was only if he believed Harry, which didn't seem likely.

Guillermo was silent for several moments before he started slowly advancing on the group's leader.

_'__Uhh oh. Don't threaten him Guillermo, for Merlin sakes don't do it….'_ Harry though frantically in his mind.

"Im going to chop up your boy." The Vatos leader started to say causing Harry to groan mentally.

_'__That escalated quickly…'_

" I'm going to feed him to my dogs. Three of the evilest, nastiest man-eating dogs you ever saw. I bought them from satan at a yard sale." Guillermo finished saying.

Harry would have snorted at the description of his three pet Chihuahua if the situation hadn't been what it was. Instead, he flicked is wand into his hand.

_'__Damn it Guillermo...'_ Harry thought, _'Showing my abilities be damned._'

The young wizard couldn't see the face of the opposing leader, but he was sure from the man's stance that he was glaring. Harry moved forward carefully through the crowd in order to get a better vantage for possible spell casting.

"I told you how it has to be. Are you willfully deaf?" Guillermo asked heatedly.

"My hearings fine. You said to come locked and loaded." The officer responded before pumping his shotgun and quickly bringing it up, aiming at Guillermo's head. Simultaneously the other two men pumped their shotguns and brought them up and trained them on the group.

In response, all the Vatos members with guns cocked them before aiming at the three other men. Those with blunted weapons tensed, ready to pounce. Harry, in the meantime, had turned and pushed Miguel roughly towards the back of the group. The boy lost his balance and fell, but at least he was out of the line of fire.

"….Okay then, we're here." The police officer finished.

The situation had devolved into what one could call tense….Every Vatos member with a gun had theirs aimed at the group of three, while the three stood opposing, aiming their guns into the group. Harry really had no idea what to do. Any single thing could set everyone off and death would ensue. He wasn't even sure he could cast a big enough shield to protect the Vatos members, much less ALSO stop the Vatos from killing three innocent men. Harry was seriously considering using one of the darkest curses of them all to stop this…madness before it turned into a bloodbath.

Luck, fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it, interfered then in the form of a ninety-six year old woman. When Abuela wandered directly into the line of fire to talk to Felipe Harry nearly face palmed.

_'__Of all the things…'_ he thought in exasperation.

Felipe and his grandmother had a quick but unintelligible conversation right in the middle of the standoff. She sounded really agitated and wasn't communicating very well, if the confusion on Felipe's face was any indication.

"Get the old lady outta the line of fire." The more rugged of the three drawled with a heavy southern accent. Whoever he was, Harry's respect for the three men increased when they didn't use the distraction in their favor.

"It's Mr. Gilbert….He can't breathe…..he needs his Asthma stuff….you find it!" The old woman begged her grandson. Harry continued to watch the three outsiders and their reactions, the other Vatos members were becoming more and more uncomfortable and were, as a result, paying less attention to the dangerous situation.

Guillermo looked uncertain for a brief second before proceeding.

"Felipe go deal with it, and take your grandma with you!"

Felipe nodded quickly before speaking to his grandmother in Spanish. He was talking so fast that Harry couldn't catch any of the words he said. It turned out not to matter, however, as Abuela bypassed Guillermo and began speaking to the officer. On noticing her approach, he quickly lowered his shotgun.

"Don't you take him! He is a good boy. He had his troubles but he pull himself together now. We need him here." She said to the America officer, ending in a pleading whisper. Her words seemed to affect the other leader as he looked around at the gathered people in incredulousness. Harry could understand his predicament…the three of them had clearly been prepared to go to war to get their friend back….only to now be confronted by a little old lady. The situation had changed into something no one had ever expected.

"Ma'am, " he started, "I'm not here to take your grandson." Abuela wasn't so sure…so she asked her next question.

"Then why are you here?"

"Your….grandson is helping us find a missing person. A guy named Glenn." The officer replied to her question. Harry wished it would have been that simple. She couldn't have possibly known Glenn. After Harry had been brought in, the Vatos had changed their procedure. No potential threat was to know about the old people….and the old people were not to know about any potential threat in kind. This officer, Shane Harry believed, would STILL have to negotiate with Guillermo, but maybe the tension had been reduced enough that neither side would call the other's bluff.

"You mean the Asian boy? He is with Mr. Gilbert."

"What!" Harry yelped, unable to keep the reflexive question to himself and causing all eyes to turn to him. How the bloody hell did Glenn get into the auditorium! Glenn was supposed to be under guard by Samuel! After scanning the faces turned in his direction looking for any help, he spotted Samuel off to the side with a pistol.

_'__Bloody angry idiot bastard!' _Harry raged in his mind as he glared at the derelict guard. Guillermo glanced in Samuel's direction too, and the look that formed on the Vatos leader's face was not one of happiness. It was one that promised consequences.

"Harry! Can you find his medicine? You brought it to us." Abuela asked, her plea for help was written all over her face.

"Uhh, sure, where is he?" Harry replied, casting a glance at Felipe. The rotund Vatos member nodded at Harry before turning and heading to the auditorium.

"Come, I show you to him." Abuela said to the officer before taking his arm and leading him in the same direction. Harry quickly followed behind, Guillermo bringing up the rear as he told the Vatos to stand down and let them through.

A short walk later had Guillermo, Harry, Felipe, and the three outsiders looking around the auditorium in shocked amazement. Harry made his way over to Felipe with the other four men following in his wake.

"How is he?" Harry asked. Mr. Gilbert had severe breathing issues. When Harry gave the medical supplies he had found in the Hospital to the Vatos, Mr. Gilbert had been on his last few puffs on his inhaler. When inventoried, the bag Harry had found included four new inhalers close to the old man's prescription. Apparently that had saved the man's life, or so he said when he thanked Harry for finding them. Harry had just accepted the thanks with a small blush. Even now, he was still unused to people being grateful to him for something he actually did. Sure people in the wizarding world had thanked him on every occasion they could, but they had been thanking Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived. Those thanks he just brushed off. Here though, they thanked 'just' Harry.

"He'll be fine. It was pretty bad, but he's had worse." Felipe responded before walking away to return the inhaler to its specified location. The few seconds Harry had been in though had made him miss a little of the side conversation going on. After a few brief conversations, Guillermo and Glenn's group went off towards the offices. Harry tagged along behind them for more than one reason. It seemed that the time to discuss his departure was rapidly approaching.

Harry leaned against the doorframe that lead into Guillermo's office as the Vatos leader explained their terrible story. Harry had been deeply moved when he had heard the entirety of the situation, all the good, bad, and supremely ugly. Guillermo laid out the desperation Felipe and he felt when all the others abandoned their charges to die. The hopelessness of the situation at first. The strength of family ties the Vatos members had with their parents and grandparents. The sad realization that nothing they could do would help much. Pipe dreams of getting the elderly out of the city and to safety hindered by the infirmities the elderly had. Being forced to be on guard 24/7 to protect the only things left they all cared about. The history of the Vatos had been large part of his decision to leave behind as much food and assorted supplies as he was planning, fully half of his remaining stock, approximately three times the food he had 'found' on that one supply run he went on. It would make their life a little easier, and would serve as a small 'return' on the effort they 'invested' in Harry to make him feel welcome.

"The people here, they all look to me now…I don't even know why." Guillermo ended his tale, tapering off with a sad tone.

Looking around the room, Harry could easily tell that the story had moved three of the four, he couldn't see the officer's face. At the same time, he could easily see that, while it was tearing them up inside, Glenn's group had their own worries and couldn't do much to help the Vatos' situation. He wouldn't blame them for not wanting to help. The Vatos wouldn't help them for free either, apparently that was the way the world worked now.

"Because they _can._" The officer said suddenly with conviction. Harry was only somewhat surprised, however, when he handed Guillermo over the shotgun he was holding. Guillermo hesitated for a moment before accepting the weapon with a nod. Even one gun could help, in Harry's opinion, and they were a commodity all by themselves. No, what shocked Harry was when the officer reached into his gun bag and pulled out a rifle and three additional shotguns. When the policeman added ammo to the mix Harry was flabbergasted.

That was _completely_ unexpected. One weapon, sure. It was a token gift that really _did_ have great significance. Giving half the guns and ammo in the bag though? That little hope Harry held that there was still good in the world grew sizably larger in that short, five minute exchange. Guillermo was speechless as well, the gesture's meaning not lost in the slightest. No words were spoken, just a few manly nods and the group of four were heading out the door. Harry stepped out of the way as they filed out of the office. All four gave him a glance as they passed him.

"Can I go say goodbye to some of the old guys? I liked playing cards with them." Glenn asked as he stopped right outside the office.

Guillermo tried to speak but couldn't. Clearing his throat, he tried again.

"Yeah Glenn, they would like that. I...ummm" he floundered, not used to saying the words he was trying to get out.

"No problem man, I get it." Glenn said with a smile before heading off back to the auditorium. Harry was then left alone with Guillermo, who was staring at the weapons and ammo. Harry cleared his throat, successfully gaining the Vatos leader's attention.

"I have to tell you something and you probably aren't going to like it." Harry started with a small amount of nervousness.

"You're going on your own way then?" Guillermo stated more than asked. The young wizard was befuddled, how had he known that was his plan?

"Uhh yeah…Look I appreciate all you…." Harry had just started his explanation when Guillermo cut him off.

"Stop Harry, its ok. You have given back more than we ever gave you, what with the medical supplies and the food you had." he said, staring Harry in the eyes.

"I just have one question amigo."

"Uhh yeah, what is it?" Harry asked, uncertain. The entire conversation had thrown Harry off, he hadn't expected not needing to defend himself and his reasons for leaving. Sure they wouldn't _force_ him to stay, but it was important to Harry that they understood the reason for his departure.

"Do you have something out there you are going after? A reason to keep going when all that is around you is dust and rubble? Are you going out there to die Harry?" Guillermo asked intensely, his eyes boring into Harry's.

Maybe Guillermo was able to read people to an even greater degree than Harry had thought originally. Harry stood up straight then and looked Guillermo right back in the eyes.

"My godson is alive, out there somewhere. I can't tell you how I know, I just do. I am going to find him." Harry vowed, not as a normal nineteen year old, nor as the Harry who lived under the stairs. No, he said it with the conviction of a wizard who had been fighting most of his life, who had fought and secretly destroyed the dark's most secret weapon. He made his statement as the wizard who waged a war against evil and prevailed, striking down his nemesis personally.

He was Harry bloody Potter and he was _going _to find his godson!

If you had asked Guillermo, even a day before that moment when Harry made his promise, he might have said he knew Harry well enough. He was a hard worker, kind, quick to anger but not as impulsive as one might think a hot head to be.

Now, if anyone asked him if he had ever known Harry Potter he would answer, _"No…I really didn't know a thing about him…but I know a survivor when I see one."_

Guillermo nodded with a small smile at the conviction in Harry's voice. He had his answer, Harry wasn't trying to commit suicide and he wasn't going out for a flimsy reason. Guillermo knew that a strong reason for persisting was the only way people survived in the world anymore. He was glad Harry had that.

"Take one of the guns and some ammo. You might also want to consider joining up with Rick's group. They seem to be a decent group of people."

"No can do mate, I don't like guns. I'll take the K-Bar though. And who's Rick?" Harry was a little confused. Was there another group out there that he didn't know about.

Guillermo's response was to look at Harry like he was stupid.

"The cop is Rick Harry…how could you, be honest here, _not_ _know_ that was who I was talking about?"

"I thought his name was Shane!"

"What gave you that idea?"

"Well Glenn said….and…well he looks like a Shane!" Harry defended while expertly portraying his embarrassment in the form of a blush.

"His name is Rick….you were standing right there when he said it."

"I wasn't paying attention!"

"Clearly" Guillermo drawled. Harry was instantly reminded of Snape on a bad day….a bad day for Harry anyway.

"Whatever. I left some supplies in my room for you."

"You didn't need to do that Harry. You've done enough already!"

"Don't worry about it; you will need it more than I will. I also left some truffles for Miguel. I don't think I will get a chance to say goodbye….can you be sure he gets them for me?" Harry asked. He felt guilty about not seeing him before he left, so he was going to leave behind the chocolates for the young teen as an apology. A poor apology, but it was the best he had.

"Of course Harry. Good luck on finding your godson." Guillermo said before standing up and offering his hand. Harry immediately closed the distance and clasped his hand with the other man's.

"I will, thank you for everything." Harry said again, only to have Guillermo wave him off.

"You did more for us than we did for you Harry. Know though, that if….when you do find your godson, you can always come back here."

Harry felt a lump form suddenly in his throat at the other man's words. In being honest with himself, Harry wouldn't be able to say that it was due to him being touched or appreciative of the man's offer. It went much deeper, back to his childhood. He had never had a place people wanted him. Then Hogwarts came around and things changed…but he still carried that emotional scar within him. Harry would always remember what Guillermo said that day.

"Than…Thank you." Harry managed to get out. Guillermo only nodded and stepped away.

"You better get going then, they should be leaving soon."

"Right….well….I'll be seeing you Guillermo. Take care of yourself." Harry said as he walked out of the office.

"Be sure you take care too, Harry."

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry caught up with the reunited quad as they were exiting the main entryway.

"Hey guys, wait up a sec." Harry called, getting the group to pause and turn around. The young wizard stopped about five feet way, a respectful distance. He quickly looked over the people present. Glenn looked curious while the rugged one who now supported a crossbow was glaring at him in suspicion. The tall black man seemed indifferent while the officer, Rick, was looking him over. Clearing his throat, he began his pitch.

"Hi. We didn't get introduced. My name is Harry and I was wondering if I could tag along." He stated, looking Rick in the eyes. He figured, like most police, that beating around the bush would not be appreciated.

The rugged one, Daryl if the bow was the weapon that shot Felipe, snorted in what Harry assumed was contempt.

"Why would we 'ant you?" Daryl asked….demanded…..whatever. Normally Harry would have ignored him, or at least made some biting comment back. He didn't think Rick would take kindly to that, however, so he bit back his insults and answered normally.

"I can be pretty useful in a fight and I am a great cook." Harry felt odd just throwing his….more mundane talents out like that. It made him feel like a piece of equipment or something. The contemptuous snort came again before Daryl spit on the ground in front of him.

"Your good at women's work? Ain't see you being much use ina' fight, 'cept for bait." Harry was about to respond when Rick's voice stopped him.

"Enough Daryl." Daryl didn't look too pleased, but a third snort and he was looking in a different direction.

"Why do you want to come with us?" Rick asked, his suspicion evident.

"You guys seem to be decent people. Glenn sure had a high opinion of you." Flattery, Harry learned, cost nothing and could actually gain him something, if used correctly. Rick's glance towards Glenn had the Asian blushing out of embarrassment.

"I see…..anything else? Any other reason?" Rick asked again. His police officer was showing quite clearly in his mild interrogation. Was he really so easy to read?

"Yes….Glenn mentioned you had some British tourists in your group….I was also interested in meeting my countrymen. " Harry responded sincerely.

"You told 'em 'bout our group? Why?" Daryl demanded, glaring at Glenn. Glenn immediately glared back defensively, but with much less force.

"I didn't say anything that would hurt us! I was tired and it just slipped out!." Glenn replied in righteous anger. How was he supposed to react in that situation? He had never been kidnapped before….and he hadn't said anything that could hurt the group.

"To be fair, Glenn didn't tell me the number of tourists you have. Even just one of my fellow Brits would be a godsend amongst you Yanks." Harry said off the cuff, before cringing slightly. Maybe his insult would go unnoticed?

A quick look at Daryl proved that was indeed not the case. The black man looked slightly amused, so that as a plus. And he couldn't quite be sure…but he was positive he saw Rick's lips twitch slightly. Rick nodded a little before looking around, presumably gauging the reactions of his companions.

"He was nice to me when they…you know, held me hostage….." Glenn started to say before ending awkwardly. Harry felt the same awkwardness too. Was it good he that said that he was nice, or was it bad that he reminded them that he was a part of the kidnapping?

"Anything else Harry? Any other reasons?"

"We ain't got time for this limey prick! We got to find my brother and get back to camp!" Daryl said angrily. Rick just looked at him before nodding his accent.

"No other reasons Harry?" Rick asked once he turned back to the wizard. Harry fidgeted slightly, something he was sure didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the group. Well…maybe Glenn but he couldn't be positive.

Should he tell them though? They could use the information against him…Harry tallied up all the good things he had found out about the group. After a short deliberation he decided to risk it. Rick _had_ just given half the guns and ammo he had away…

"Yes…alright! Bloody hell. I'm looking for my godson." Harry said while running a hand through his hair.

Rick's eyes softened a little when he heard Harry's response. Instantly he could relate with the young man in front of him. Hadn't he just been looking for his own family a week ago? Hadn't he met a group and was the outsider? Yes…so he knew how that felt. To acknowledge and inform a potential enemy of your weakness….took either a foolish mind or a desperate person.

"How can you be sure he is alive?"

"He's alive, I know it." Harry responded immediately, his tone leaving no doubt he truly believed what he said.

"Your godson might not be anywhere near here….what if coming with us is the wrong direction?"

"Are you going anywhere west?" Harry asked in response. He dare not ask where their camp was yet, but a general direction seemed ok territory for a question. Rick nodded his head slowly in affirmation.

"Great. The last thing I heard was they were traveling west…him and his babysitter."

Rick started into Harry's eyes as he gave his response. He couldn't detect any lie…but he was sure that Harry was holding something back. He could understand that though. He may want to tag along, be he trusted them as much as they trusted him.

"Do you have any weapons?"

"Just this K-Bar" he responded, gesturing at his hip.

"I think he should come with us. We already have some British people anyway." Glenn piped up. Harry gave him a half smile before turning his attention back to Rick.

After what seemed like hours, which was in reality less than two minutes, Rick nodded again firmly.

"Alright, you can come with us. But you follow our rules. Got it?" Rick half demanded half…..demanded.

"Yes, I understand and will play by your rules. Do you have a book or something for reference?" Harry quipped.

"No….no book." Rick drawled back, his mouth upturned slightly.

"Let's get going, we can introduce ourselves on the way to the truck." Rick ordered before the group, now five in number, headed out.

The trip to the vehicle the group drove into the city was uneventful. Harry learned everyone's names. Glenn's he already knew, Rick reintroduced himself and the black man ended up being named T-Dog. Daryl didn't say his name, which was ok in the end since Harry already knew it.

While the trip to the vehicle may not have been eventful, the ending of the trip certainly was.

"Oh my God, where's the truck!" Glenn exclaimed.

"Meryl." Rick ground out in anger.

"He's gunna be taking a whole lot of vengeance back to camp." Daryl said, sounding depressed. Harry, having no idea what was going on or the backstory, simply stayed quite.

"Lets move!" Rick commanded, causing all five people to break out into a slow run.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Night had fallen by the time Rick said they were nearing camp. The run as been completely silent. No excess energy was spent on talking, all of it was focused on getting back to camp before…whatever bad was going to happen.

Harry was nervous, excited, and scared all at once. He recognized those series of feelings as the feelings he had when fighting in the war. It had taken him many months of meditation practice and lots of help, but he had finally been able to grasp a portion of occlumency. He couldn't shut down his emotions….but he could readily identify them now.

The fact he was getting these feelings now….was worrisome.

The first scream that tore through the night caused all four people to pause. The second immediately after the first caused them all to run as hard as they could towards the camp. Gunfire could be heard, the repots echoing all around the mountain, over and over again. Rick, T-Dog, Daryl, and Glenn all rushed forward past Harry with their guns up and ready. Soon, they disappeared behind a thick bush, Harry in quick pursuit.

He pulled his knife out of its sheath the second he came to the outskirts of the camp. The scene before him was…hauntingly familiar.

Fires burned around the camp, people were screaming and the smoke was thick. The gunshots added to the mayhem with their loud booms. Aside from the guns, the scene was almost a dead ringer for the Quidditch World Cup in his fourth year.

A sharp scream pulled Harry out of his memories. Searching for the source, he saw a woman holding a screaming young girl on her hip while desperately trying to fend off a biter.

Harry ran over and lashed out with his knife, striking quickly and pulling back out. The biter went down, only for a second biter to come stumbling from behind the large camper, heading towards the woman and her child. Harry used his forearm to shove the woman back. That action cost him precious seconds, seconds which the biter used to cover the remaining distance.

_'__Too close!'_ Harry thought frantically. He couldn't get his knife around on a good angle. He resorted to punching the biter as hard as he could, knocking it away a scant few inches. They were all he needed. With a quick forward strike, Harry penetrated the right eye and brain of the biter, permanently killing it. As the pulled his knife out of the biter's eye socket he looked up to give the young girl a brief smile of encouragement, only to see the girl screaming and pointing behind him.

Fear coursed through his veins as he spun around to come face to face with a disfigured, _hug_e biter. It was so close that he reflexively took a step back, and proceeded to trip over a rather large and slick with blood rock. Harry fell to the ground. The combined impact of his fall and that of the biter falling on top of him knocked his knife out of his hand. When the biter's forehead impacted Harry's face, it sent his glasses sliding off his face. Seeing stars from the impact, he brought up he knees as far as he could to try and leverage the biter off of him, but failed. The thing was so too heavy, Harry only succeeding to move it a few inches.

He reached his hands up and aimed for the biter's neck. He was able to gain purchase on the rotted flesh, digging his nails into its throat and pushing its biting mouth further away from his body. Harry's mind frantically ran through scenarios. He couldn't get a good angle to palm his wand so that was out. Maybe a strong push of wandless magic? He had never tried it before….he had only ever gotten the unlocking spell to work a semi decent amount of the time. He would only have one shot at doing it….if it didn't work he would lose his hold on the biter and probably get bitten.

Harry was saved from having to try a last ditch attempt as a shiny blade penetrated the front of the biter's skull. The green eyed wizard push his head back as far into the ground as he could out of reflex. The heavy biter slumped unmoving, completely and truly dead now. The blade point disappeared, having been pulled back through the back of the skull. The putrid smelling, rotted brain matter began leaking out of the hole and onto his clothing. Harry started trying to leverage the dead body off him when, all at once, the body rolled off and to the side. The young wizard looked up, trying to find and thank his rescuer. A distorted, fuzzy person was looking down at him. He couldn't make out many details, the light was so low and he had the chance to find and replace his glasses on his face. Harry opened his mouth to thank the unknown person when he froze in shock their voice.

"Potter?"

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**Vatos Mini Arc Epilog. **

**As in its beginning, so shall it be at its end…**

The day he left was the last time Harry, or anyone really would see the Vatos members alive. Three days after Harry's departure, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Gilbert had fallen asleep at a table playing Go-Fish. The guard on duty decided to let them rest for an hour or so before getting them to their beds. That lax in protocol proved to be the last mistake he ever made.

Mr. Gilbert hadn't fallen asleep, as was assumed. He had a severe asthma attack and had fallen unconscious quickly after. He soon suffocated in his wheelchair at the go-fish table.

An hour later, when he was finally rolled into his room that he shared with three other people, he reanimated and attacked the helper who was pushing his chair.

The suddenness of the attack, coupled with old age and failing health caused the two other elderly people in the room to have heart attacks. Both died minutes later.

The dominoes fell from there. Soon four walkers were in the hallway attacking everyone they could reach. Several Vatos members heard the commotion and rushed to the scene, only to be swarmed by the recently reanimated group of elderly. Four turned to eight, eight turned to fifteen. Gunfire ripped through the silence of the night as the remaining Vatos members tried to salvage what they could. Panicked, a lone member managed to get to the main exit and open it in an attempt to escape.

His plan proved fatal, however, as the gunfire had attracted all the nearby walkers toward the sounds. Guillermo knew it was all over when he saw the horde pouring in from the open door. He stopped shooting then and looked around. Time seemed to slow down as he watched everything he had built die or be eaten. He glanced to his right in time to see Felipe fighting with a walker. He eventually killed it with a screwdriver but the damage had been done. Felipe stared in horror at the bite on his arm before looking up at Guillermo.

As it was in the beginning, so was it true in the end. Felipe and Guillermo were the only two left alive, Felipe having used his last bullet to end Miguel's life. The only consoling thing about his action was the boy didn't see it coming; he had been staring at the bite on his leg at the time.

As the horde bore down on their haphazard barricade, Guillermo glanced down at his pistol before looking back at Felipe. The former nurse grit his teeth and, with tears in his eyes, gave his best friend a single nod.

Guillermo instantly aimed the pistol at his friend's head and pulled the trigger. As Felipe's blood and brain matter oozed out on the ground, Guillermo put his gun to his temple and had one last look around.

He had done _good_ for the time he had. He knew, deep down, that he made life better for all the members of the Vatos….for his dysfunctional, extended, amazing adopted family.

"Adios amigos" he said quietly.

Guillermo's last feeling in this world was his finger pulling the trigger.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**A/N**

**Vatos Mini Arc completed.**

**Wow, what an end right? I explain a little further down why it ended like it did. **

%%%%%%The end of the story chapter%%%%%%

**Who could that have been!? Who is it that knows Harry? Could Harry actually KNOW someone from Rick's group? Stay tuned!**

**Ok so, here is the end of the chapter! There are a few things I would like to mention about this chapter. First, it was insanely difficult to write for some reason, no idea. Second, I did take a large amount of the Rick's group meets Vatos right from the episode. What I didn't do, however, is type out Guillermo's speech he gave the group in private. It was long and I had already touched upon it in the second, third, and forth chapters. **

**Why did I rip one and not the other? Simple! I felt that the scene between Rick and Guillermo shows the badass, rip out their throats with our teeth side of the Vatos, ONLY to THEN turn them into the fluffy cuddly bears that they really are when Abuela came out. If Rick and the gang had been looters, the Vatos would have killed them without hesitation….but that scene serves to show that people who seem bad, can really be great people for different reasons. I felt it also showed how the world has changed and what needs to be done to survive in the here and now. It also showed Rick's group at one of their finest moments.**

**So yeah, I hope that all came across like I explained I had wanted it too. Leave me a comment or a PM telling me how well I did, if you want to that is.**

%%%%%%The end of the Vatos%%%%%%

**The TV series was going to have Rick's group go back to the Vatos, only to find the place overrun. It didn't end up airing as it didn't push the plot forward enough, so it was cut. In order to make the story as tragic as I feel it would have been if we had seen that, I added in the last part of the chapter to show how tragic the world had become. **

**If you think hard about the Walking Dead, both the comics and the TV series. The group doesn't gain strength from their victories. They gain the experience and strength from the tragedies they survive. It is in how they pick themselves back up when they get knocked down that truly helps the group the most in the end.**

**For example. If you are knocked down 19 times….when you stand back up you've learn to get up one more time than you were knocked down.**

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**Super special thanks to chocolatecheesecakes for keeping Harry a proper Englishman. I admit, I am American and make all my characters sound that way, so thanks for the help in keeping Harry more British than American!**

**And thanks to rocknrollprincess131 and girl-at-home13 ! Thanks you guys for your stupendous help on this chapter. I appreciate it.**

**Also, to all my loyal readers out there, take a look at the stories chocolatecheesecakes, rocknrollprincess131 and girl-at-home13 have written. They are really good!**

**Reviewer shout out:**

**Sorry I won't answer individual questions this time around. I had a lot happen this week and I wanted to get the chapter posted. Later, when I do revisions (around chapter 8 or 10) I will put a fuller response to my reviewers. **

**But never fear! I have answered you all in PMs!**

**Thanks for the reviews from the following. I appreciate it a lot you guys!**

123paco

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Guest

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**Don't forget to read and review!**


	6. The Reunion

**A/N**

**Sorry it's a little late people! I apologize. I did say that I would TRY and get a chapter a week out, so I can't guarantee if I can do that every time. This chapter was so hard to write (even more so than the last one!) and I had so many things going on. Thanksgiving here in America last week and that took a bunch of prepwork.**

**66 reviews! Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate all you guys.**

I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters… Or any of the Walking Dead characters either… If I had, Carl would not have been shot and Lucius would have had a much bigger role in things, just saying. Shane would still be dead though… Yeah…As a doornail

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

_Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:_

_A distorted, fuzzy person was looking down at him. He couldn't make out many details, the light was so low and he had the chance to find and replace his glasses on his face. Harry opened his mouth to thank the unknown person when he froze in shock their voice._

_"__Potter?" _

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Chapter 6

"Potter?" the person asked, incredulous, "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Harry was too shocked at the voice of his savior to move. His mind stalled for a brief second before it went into overdrive. _'It couldn't be…'_

"Keep going to the camper!" His savior yelled over the gunshots and screams. Harry's body kicked into action at the shout and he began looking around for his glasses. He managed to find and grasp them before he was hauled up by his savior.

"Morgana's saggy tits Potter, get up!" His rescuer yelled in his ear as more shotgun blasts sounded. Harry fumbled with his glasses a second before getting them back in place on his face, bringing the world back into sharp focus. There, looking Harry in the eyes, standing with him amidst the chaos and bloody carnage, was someone he would never have expected to see.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked the blond haired young man.

"Get your knife and get back into the fight Potter!" Draco yelled before raising his sword and rushing off.

_'__Wait, he had a sword?'_

Harry stood there for a second before the terrified scream of a child focused his attention. Quickly, he retrieved his knife and fell back onto what little his Auror training could offer him in this situation. He scanned the area for where he would be needed most, spotting a man having trouble with his gun while trying to protect a woman and young boy. The three were backing towards the camper while four biters advanced on them. The boy savior dashed towards the three. The man had resorted to using his shotgun as a club, bashing a biter away, only for more to take its place.

Running up, Harry lashed out with his knife, stabbing a female biter in the back of the skull. The weight of the corpse dropping pulled the knife clear, allowing Harry to swing his arm to the side, impaling another biter in the skull. The third biter tripped over the first, slamming into the ground directly in front of the man and terrified woman and child. Harry watched with some morbid fascination as the other guy squished the biter's head with a powerful smack from the end of the gun. The young wizard scanned the area quickly looking for any nearby threats. He watched as the Slytherin stabbed and sliced three biters in quick succession. It was ridiculous to think Harry would ever think of _Draco Malfoy_ as graceful, but the sword play he exhibited couldn't be described in any other way.

Confirming Draco could hold his own, Harry tore his eyes from the only familiar sight to continue looking for threats. There were no more biters standing, the gunfire had finally gone silent, only to be replaced by frantic yells and anguished crying. Harry felt his heart sink at the number of bodies on the ground. Even now, in the darkness, it was easy to see that many were not biter bodies. He turned when he heard Rick yelling.

"Baby! Carl!"

"Dad!" the young boy near the camper yelled before running forward. Rick bent over and picked him up while a woman, the mother most likely, walked forward. Harry could see she was terrified and relieved, her face was a mess of emotions and shed tears. Now he understood why Rick has softened when Harry had told him what he was searching for. Family seemed to be of great importance to the man, a very good sign. Harry moved closer to the group congregated around the off color camper. Rick's reunion was quickly overshadowed for Harry by the sobbing woman who was kneeling over a young girl's body.

"I remember my dream now…..why I dug the holes." A strange man off to the right said. The creepy vide rolling off him made Harry a little nervous. And so he stood, for a good ten minutes feeling like a third nipple as the people in front of him grieved. He couldn't offer any more condolences than what had already been given, making him feel awful that he couldn't help sooth these people's hurt. But what could an outsider do other than accidently offend someone by saying something stupid? Better for him to stay silent at the moment.

Harry tensed when he felt someone step up and beside him. He relaxed slightly when he saw the Malfoy heir standing next to him, looking over the corpses. With the light from the fire, Harry was able to get his first full look at his former Slytherin nemesis. The young man's attire was shocking to Harry's preconceived notions. Draco was currently sporting a pair of jeans and was wearing a t-shirt with the faded words "Metal for Life". Out of all that, it was the other wizard's hair that caught Harry's attention the most. Gone was the slicked back platinum blond hair Draco had sported in school. Now his short hair was very unkempt, at least for a Malfoy, with a little overgrowth in some areas while other stuck out. Harry opened his mouth to speak when the other wizard started talking.

"Finished ogling me Potter?" Draco asked suddenly, turning from looking at the crying woman to look at Harry.

"I wasn't ogling you Malfoy!" he responded, angry instantaneously.

Draco made a tisking sound with his tongue before moving towards a large clump of dead bodies. Harry made to follow but stopped suddenly as he witnessed what Draco was doing. Moving methodically, he went through the pile of bodies, stabbing each in the head with his thin bladed sword. Harry watched, a million questions running in his mind. How had Draco gotten there? Why was he here? What had happened to the wizarding world? Did he know of anyone else alive? He had so many questions he couldn't figure out which ones to ask first.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry was quickly drawn from his dilemma when the man he saved earlier walked up to him.

"Thanks for the save back there." He started, holding out his hand.

"Err no problem, really." Harry responded, shaking the man's hand while cursing his slight embarrassment.

"Another Brit huh? Been getting a mess of them. Names' Shane." The man, Shane, said.

_'__So this is the other leader Glenn talked about.'_ Harry though, a little wary of the man.

"I'm Harry."

"There was a whole lot of mess going on, so I didn't see where you came from." Shane said conversationally while leaning forward. The undercurrent of the half statement half demand wasn't lost on Harry. The young wizard was saved by a timely intervention.

"He's with me Shane. He's good." Rick said, his child still wrapped tightly in his arms, his wife was standing next to him. Harry nodded to the man in thanks. Shane took a small step back and gave Harry a smile.

"Well alright then. If Rick trusts you, I trust you." Shane said, sending a smile to Harry and Rick. The look left Shane's face when his eyes landed on the woman to Rick's right; the tension was something that didn't go unnoticed to Harry. Shane soon walked off though, joining some of the other men in gathering the bodies.

"Harry, this is my wife Lori, and my son Carl." Rick said, introducing his family to Harry.

"Nice to meet you both." Harry responded.

"Thank you Harry, for helping us during the fight." Lori said sincerely causing Harry to blush slightly once more.

_'__Damn it all'_ he though in exasperation.

"It wasn't a problem. Really."

"My husband told me briefly how you met. It couldn't have been easy, risking your life to help people you don't know. So thank you."

"Really Mrs.…errr."

"Grimes Harry."

"Right. Really Mrs. Grimes, it wasn't that big of a deal." Harry responded. And it wasn't, not really. The world may have changed, but Harry Potter had not. If there were people and he had the capability to, he would do it.

"You give yourself too little credit Harry. My son and I could have been bitten, you helped prevent that." She stated matter-of-factly. She was about to say something else before she was interrupted by a familiar drawl.

"You should take him at his word Lori. He's always had this stupid saving people thing. Bloody Gryffindors." Draco said as he walked up to the four of them. Lori got an annoyed look on her face at the Slytherin's presence.

"I wasn't aware you were invited to this conversation Draco." Lori responded with a falsely sweet tone. Rick just sighed, almost as if this was a common occurrence.

Draco annoying the people around him? Harry could see that happening, easy. The young Slytherin's response was only to smirk before turning to Harry.

"How did you find us Potter?"

"I didn't find _you_ Malfoy. Rick brought me." Harry responded, emphasizing all the right words to show how much he _didn't_ want to find Draco. The young Malfoy scowled and was about to respond before the young boy spoke up.

"Do you know each other?" Carl asked, wide eyes displaying his innocent curiosity. Harry and Draco just looked at one another. Harry would have laughed if the situation wasn't as messed up as it was. Still, unbidden memories swam to the forefront of his mind. The first time he had met Draco on the train, all the way up to their meeting in Malfoy Manner. Unknown to Harry, Draco was thinking almost along the same lines.

"It's a good question." Rick said, smiling at Carl. Harry considered what he would say. The answer was obvious, but how much should he talk about?

"We know each other." Draco said, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "We went to school together for six years."

"Yeah, we went to the same school. " Harry affirmed, feeling slightly awkward. He had never talked about his interactions with someone who had no idea about…well anything about their lives. Talk to an adult wizard and they would instantly understand the Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry. To talk about Hogwarts with someone who had no idea…even without mention the name, just struck Harry as odd.

"Come on Potter, we need to talk." Draco said in the way only a Malfoy could. Both demanding and condescending. Hearing that tone again, after having been free of it for so long, made Harry's teeth itch.

"Are you British too?" Carl asked, his big eyes full of curiosity. Harry chucked a bit when he saw Draco glare at the boy. He still didn't take kindly to being ignored.

"Yes, Carl was it? I am British too."

"Like Dragon?"

"I told you not to call me that you brat!" Draco responded immediately, his face flush with agitation…or maybe embarrassment? At Lori's smirk, Harry leaned more towards embarrassment.

"Yes…like _Dragon_." Harry agreed, emphasizing the name. Draco's scowled couldn't have gotten much deeper without it being permanent.

"So…like Herm…Herimno…Hermonine…Hermo…" Carl tried to say, struggling with the word. He quickly turned to his mother for help.

"Hermione dear." Lori coached with a indulgent smile.

"Right! Like Hermione too?" Carl asked, turning back to Harry.

"Yes, like Hermion…..wait what? How do you know Hermione?" Harry asked suddenly and loudly. A little too loudly for right after a biter attack it seemed, as both Lori and Carl jumped in surprise.

"Hermione…she's one of the others we found with Draco…" Rick started to explain, his body posture becoming cautious after Harry's outburst. Harry stood there open mouthed for a second before turning to glare at the young Malfoy.

"Hermione is here? She can't be here, she's dead!" Harry said angrily.

"She's not dead you moron." Draco responded dismissively, causing Harry's composure to crack.

Rushing up, Harry grabbed a double handful of Draco's shirt, pulling their faces close together. Furious green eyes looked into surprised grey ones.

"I know she's dead Draco, don't lie to me. You sick little shit, I didn't think you would do something like this after everything." Harry hissed in anger. After everything…to think Draco would pull something like this! Harry could never have imagined the pain he felt after seeing Draco alive. He had prayed that someone he knew was still out there, someone who could help him find his godson. Instead, he gets Draco bloody Malfoy, the last person he wanted to see in an apocalypse.

"Still the vicious little snake aren't you, Malfoy?" Harry spat out. Draco's eyes grew wide for a second before they narrowed. A second later, Harry was sent reeling from a fist colliding with his face.

Harry quickly regained his bearings before punching Draco back, square in the face.

"Stop it!" Rick commanded, grabbing Harry's shoulder and shaking it. Harry turned to glare at the man. Rick quickly moved in front of Harry to stop him from continuing to attack. He may agree with his wife that Draco was a pain in the ass, but he wouldn't stand by and allow his group (including Harry) come to blows.

"I tried telling you, you bloody git! Did you think I wanted to talk to you because of all our _pleasant_ memories together?" Draco yelled with narrowed eyes, his anger very apparent from the sneer on his face. Harry was satisfied, however, at the trail of blood coming from the blond git's nose.

"Tried telling me what? That she's alive? She's dead. I know, I checked!" Harry yelled back. He started to move forward, only for Rick to keep him from advancing again. So caught up in his anger, Harry didn't see the crowed that had gathered at his yelling. Shane made his way over to help Rick hold Harry, gently like.

"Harry stop! What the hell is wrong with you?" Rick demanded. He didn't understand what had set Harry off like that. And claiming Hermione was dead? Was he talking about the same one? And how could he have checked?

"He's lying. I know he is." Harry said with conviction.

"She's not dead you ponce!"

"She is!"

"Merlin's balls, still the typical stubborn Gryffindor Potty? She _isn't dead_." Draco yelled back.

"Cut it with the yelling!" Shane yelled at the two.

"As if the gunfire didn't attract all the walkers in a hundred miles! Bloody idiot!" Draco retorted. The group milling became more anxious at that pronouncement. Carl, having been put down by Rick so he could sort Harry out, started to cry again. Rick got even more irritated than he already was.

"Enough!" he commanded, using every ounce of irritated father and veteran police officer he had in him. Harry calmed slightly while Draco looked disgruntled. Rick and Shane stayed put for a few more moments, making sure that both guys, especially Harry, had calmed down.

"Alright, enough Harry. I don't know what's gotten in to you. I reckon we all have our own issues, but we can _not_ have this right now. We have clean up and planning to do." Rick stated, staring Harry in the eyes. He could see the hurt, the pain lingering there with the anger he saw earlier. Something, whatever it was, had set Harry off and he was in pain. But that didn't matter in the here and now.

"You done? Good. Draco, go show Harry the situation. Harry, be _calm._" The officer ordered before letting Harry go. He and Shane walked off to discuss…something. For his part, Harry just looked at the ground, emotionally spent.

_'__I can't believe I acted like that'_ he thought morosely to himself. It was just…with Draco saying Hermione was alive and him just _being_ Draco… he couldn't handle it all combined.

"Come on Potter." Draco said, his customary sneer in place. Harry looked up to see Draco heading to towards the large camper. Basically on autopilot, Harry followed. As they neared, he glanced at the woman kneeling over the body of the young girl. Her sobbing had stopped, only to be replaced by a grief ridden, faraway look. He wondered if he looked the same way that night he cast the pointme charms.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

"Inside Potter." Draco said, breaking Harry out of his musings. Harry looked up to see Draco holding open the door to the camper. Normally, Harry would have said something, come up with some snarky remark, but he was too tired. His quick burst of anger at Draco wasn't enough to cover up the longing he held in his heart of any form of reunion. To think, the one other wizard Harry would meet in this nightmare would be a Malfoy. Truly, the Gods of Irony enjoyed their torment of the last Potter.

Harry walked up the short stairs and ducked to get inside the camper. From its outward appearance, Harry was surprised when he noted the rather decent looking interior. The kitchen was small but functional while the little table to the side was covered with a variety of different gear. All in all, it looked to be a heavily used, but still in fair condition camper. He heard Draco shut the camper door and clear his throat.

"Listen Potter….I don't know how much you know." Draco said while placing his sword on the countertop. Harry just stared at him slightly bewildered. Was there a question in there somewhere? In truth, Harry was somewhat at a loss. After the Battle of Hogwarts, he hadn't talked to Draco but once. And that encounter hadn't been a pleasurable one.

"Potter!" Draco snapped, getting impatient at Harry's silence.

"Well?" Harry asked, letting his irritation show.

"I asked you a question. Merlin save us, you've turned into a daydreaming Longbottom!"

"Stuff it Malfoy! You don't get to talk about Neville!" Harry responded in anger. How dare Draco disparage Neville! Anyone who could stand up to Voldemort in person should never be talked about in that manner. Draco just gave a haughty huff.

"I asked you a question Potter."

"I didn't hear it, ask it again."

"Listen this time Potty! How did you get here?" Draco demanded.

"I told you, Rick brought me."

"Well, how did you do it?" Draco pressed.

"He came to get that guy Glenn back from the Vatos" Harry replied only for Draco to wave his hand dismissively.

"No, I mean how did you survive?"

"What?"

"Survive Potter. You know, not die and all that? Last anyone heard, you were in a…coma." Ah…that was what he wanted to know.

"Errr I don't know exactly. I think my mag…" Harry started to explain, only to be sushed by the blond.

"Shh, don't say that here Potter! Did you even wake up from that coma or are you braindead right now?" Harry just glared at the blond.

_'__Of all the stupid things to say! '_ Draco ranted in his head. _'Not a modicum is common sense. Stupid Gryffindors.' _

"Listen Potter, things have changed. So many things. Do you know anything about….."Draco began to ask before he was cut off.

"You said Hermione is alive. Why would you say what?" Harry demanded, glaring at the young Malfoy through narrowed eyes. Draco rolled his eyes at the display.

"Because she is, you Hufflepuff!" Draco yelled back. Honestly! How many times did he have to say it?

Harry, on the other hand, had finally had enough. With a quick snap of his wrist his wand was in his hand and pointing at Draco's face.

"Answer me _Malfoy_'." Harry said with a very calm tone. Draco recognized that tone. It was the same one Harry used when he…_spoke_ to him right before his Ministry trial.

"I _did _Potter! She isn't dead. Why do you keep insisting she is?"

"Because I did the pointme spell _Malfoy_, it showed she was dead!" Harry replied angrily, small sparks coming off the end of his wand. Draco didn't flinch, however.

"Then you did it _wrong_ Potter. It doesn't surprise me really, you never were very good at spell work." Draco rejoined with a malicious tint in his voice.

"I am sure you tell yourself that at night when you remember all the times I bested you." Harry responded in disgust. He didn't get any answers from the blond and he was getting really tired of hearing the same lie. The green eyed wizard did get some satisfaction in seeing the scowl on Draco's face though.

"Now…for the last time Malfoy. Tell me _why_ you keep saying she isn't dead. Where is your proof?"

"I was getting to that Potter! You need to know what happened before you can see her." Draco responded, his voice betraying none of his worry. Regardless of school hood rivalries and even not counting that they were on different sides of the war. The wizard in front of him _had_ faced and killed Voldemort, the greatest Dark Wizard of all time, in a one on one duel.

"What do you mean? Stop stalling damn it and tell me!" Harry yelled directly into Draco's face. To have come so far thinking Hermione was dead, only to then have a Malfoy dangle that she was alive in front of him? Unacceptable. The sound of a door sliding open was heard, causing both wizards to look and see a tall black woman coming out of the backend of the camper.

"Everything alright Draco?" the woman said, a gun pointing at Harry with one hand while the other was filled with a small child. Harry couldn't tell what the child was as it was covered with a rather large blanket. That being said, he was more interested in the gun the woman had pointing at him.

"Everything's fine Jacquie." Draco said with the bored tone he had mastered as a child.

"Are you sure…." The black woman, Jacquie, asked with suspicion. Harry slowly lowered his wand before he snapped it back into its holster. The woman didn't lower the gun, however.

"Everything is fine, why don't you take him outside so Harry and I can talk? It's all clear now." The blond said, mustering back his dignified air almost instantly.

"Are you sure honey….this guy doesn't seem very friendly…" said, trialing off while lowering her weapon. Harry was sure he heard another exasperated sound coming from Draco.

"Yes, yes woman, I told you not to call me that! I am not a sweet or candy!" Draco groused, pinking slightly. He was easily on the verge of pouting as much as a Malfoy could.

Jacquie smiled slightly at Draco then before walking past the both of them. She did give Harry a stern look before she exited the camper, however. Harry turned back to the slightly pink Malfoy heir when Jacquie shut the door and raised an eyebrow expectantly. Draco sighed before running a hand down his face tiredly.

"She's in there Potter, just go look." Draco said, gesturing towards the room Jacquie had exited. Harry spun, eyes wide in surprise before he rushed into the back of the camper. He stopped two steps into the new room. He couldn't believe his eyes. His mind froze in shock. She was there, Hermione was right _there_! Not only that, she was laying next to Andromeda Tonks! They were both here! How was that possible? He mourned for her! But she wasn't dead! Miracles did happen! Why was she so still…

"Hermione?" Harry called. When he received no answer he called to her again, louder. When she still didn't respond, he went ahead and approached the side of the bed she was on. Reaching over, he placed his hand on her shoulder to gently wake her up. As soon as Harry touched her shoulder he drew his hand back with a gasp. She was ice cold!

"Andromeda. Andromeda! Wake up!" Harry called, trying to rouse his godson's grandmother. She too did not move, didn't so much as even twitch.

"I meant what I said Potter, Hermione is alive but she…." Draco said from the room's entrance before he paused. What should he explain to Potter? Where should he even start?

"What is it Draco? What happened to her? To both them?"

"Bloody hell Potter! I'm trying to figure out where to start, you plebian. Stop distracting me!" Draco huffed, annoyed at Harry's badgering. A few heartbeats of silence passed before Draco began speaking again.

"I am going to give you the short version for now. We, that is Hermione, Andromeda, the brat, and I joined this group a little over four months ago, or there abouts." Draco began explaining. "Hermione was dead set on coming to find you as quickly as possible, I was against it just so you know, but Andromeda agreed with her and so, after finding out your likely location, we headed here. The two of them still held on to the hope you were alive somehow. Turns out they were right. "

"About a month ago this group managed to walk and drive right through what used to be the Tennessee Magical Creature Preserve. Nothing much happened until the last night we spent in the woods. A swarm of some strange Doxies attacked the four of us. Hermione and Andromeda were bitten many times. The Doxies were strange, their colors were different than normal and, it turned out, their venom was much stronger. Either way, with so many bites the standard Doxy antiserum would never have worked." The tears of relief Harry had been holding in changed to tears of despair as he listened to Draco's recounting. He didn't try to stop them from falling,

"Why were the Doxies out in the first place? Did someone release them?"

"Potter, _all _the animals were out. The wards had fallen. There was nothing keeping them from muggle world by the time we got there."

"But why were the wards….never mind. I thought she was dead, how is she alive?"

"Simple Potter, she never died." Draco stated.

"But the spell! I used the pointme spell and it show red and wouldn't stop spinning!" Harry argued. He had done the spell right! He even had checked it. Did that mean the others were alive too? Hope blossomed anew in his chest. She was alive! Andromeda and Teddy were alive! The others could be too.

"What the hell did you do? That shouldn't have happened."

"Well it did"

"Then you did something wrong." Draco reasoned

"You can't mess up the spell Malfoy! It's four words!"

"And you couldn't even string four words together correctly? I thought you were slow, but even I am impressed." The Malfoy heir rejoined at Harry's expense.

"Shut up you git! I thought she was dead! I thought I was the only one left."

"Even if the world did end Potter, it _still_ wouldn't solely revolve around you."

"Don't make me curse you! Look here, I'll even show you." Harry responded, taking out his wand and laying it on his upturned palm.

"Point me Hermione Weasley." He intoned. The spell took hold and the wand started to spin in a lazy circle, its tip a bright, glowing red. Harry looked up at Malfoy with a smug expression. He had proven it wasn't working correctly!

The momentary flash of victory he felt was soon replaced by anger when Draco barked out a laugh.

"What's so funny? The spell isn't working!" Harry demanded. His patients were already thinning and Draco's attitude was, as always, grating on ones nerves.

"You're doing it wrong. _Like I said._" Draco responded. His face was screwed up into a holier-than-thou smirk. Oh how Harry hated that smirk.

"How can I be doing it wrong? It works on me."

"I'm sure it does Potter. But you are using the wrong name."

"What? How is that the wrong name?" Harry questioned, bewildered by the blonde's statement.

"You are _using_ the _wrong name_." Draco annunciated, "She is still a Granger."

"Still a…she didn't marry Ron?"

"No."

"What? Why!?"

"That's not my story to tell Potter! Do you want to hear the rest of what happened to her or not?" Draco asked with a large amount of anger in his voice. Just talking about it brought up memories Draco would like to forget. And it truly wasn't his story to tell. Harry just nodded dumbly. Well, more dumbly than normal, in the blonde's opinion anyway. Draco resumed his story.

"Unfortunately, we didn't even have a drop of antivenom, much less the concentrated antidote. The others think they are just sick. The venom kept damaging their bodies so the Know-It-All cast a cooling charm on the both of em for some crazy reason about 'slowing down their bodily functions' or some such nonsense. It worked though, for a time, but it wasn't enough. A week ago I had to put them in magical stasis so they wouldn't die. That's why they are like they are. But they are _alive_." Draco explained. Harry stood there, staring down at Hermione while he listened to Draco. He had thought she was dead. Either way, she was alive, the words 'for now' echoed in his mind.

"So we need a more potent variant of Doxy Antivenom?"

"Not only that, we need restorative draughts and possibly several vials of pain reliever potion. That's what Granger thought anyway. The venom has had _a long time_ to do its work Potter. And it was a mutant half-breed one as well! Who knows what else it did."

"Okay….where do we get it?" Harry asked, tearing his eyes away from his best friend and looking at Draco.

"Don't you think, if it were that easy, we would have _done it_ _already_?" Draco asked with a scoff

"How the hell should I know Malfoy? Where can we get some?"

"We _can't _get some Potter. The plants don't grow here. We simply can't get the ingredients in this climate. "

"What about a magical shop? I heard they have them all over America." Harry proposed next.

"That won't work either." Draco responded, his face blanking.

"Why not?" Harry asked, frustration and desperation tinging his voice.

"Because they're all gone Potter."

"What are? The ingredients?"

"The _shops_ Potter."

Harry's stomach dropped at the implications of what Draco had just said.

"How can they all be gone? Did you look?" Harry demanded. It would be just like Draco to reject something out of hand if he thought it would be too much work.

"I know Potter, trust me, I know."

"Trust you? Don't make me laugh Malfoy!"

"Never mind! I don't care if you trust me! But the stores are gone, so much is just…..gone." Draco replied, his voice going quiet and horse towards the end. Harry looked at him in surprise. He had rarely seen Draco express that much emotion, especially in front of him.

"Well…what about Hermione's NeverEverEnding Pouch? Or her trunk? There isn't anything to we can use in those?"

"No Potter, there isn't! She doesn't even have the pouch or trunk anymore. And who is this 'we'? If I recall, you were terrible at potions." Draco responded acidly. Harry didn't pay any attention to it though. Draco's comments concerned him far worse.

"She never left the Burrow without her trunk and pouch. One was a gift from Ron and one was a gift from her parents. What happened to them?"

"They were destroyed Potter…." Draco drawled. Normally, he would have found it amusing to watch the Gryffindor golden boy panic like he was. But after the last six months, he found he couldn't take pleasure in even Harry's suffering.

"How?"

"I don't know, they got damaged and malfunctioned."

"What? How!"

"Look I don't know _how_ exactly. Hermione said she knows but she didn't want to explain it until she was sure." Draco responded harshly. He had felt like an idiot when she had started explaining about shells or chills or whatever and bacterima or something so small you can't see it. For the most part, Draco thought she was full of it.

"All I can tell you is that trunks ended up being dangerous. Anything with an expanded capacity did, really. Things just…started going wrong somehow. "

"What about my trunk?" Harry asked suddenly, surprising Draco.

"What trunk? You have a trunk?"

"Yeah, the one Hermione convinced me to get to replace the standard issue Auror trunk. " He replied, pulling out his chain and revealing his shrunken trunk. When he looked up at Draco he was surprised to see the look of amazement on the young Slytherin's face.

"Harry bloody Potter strikes again. Sodding wonderful." Draco muttered under his breath. How in the bloody hell did he still have his trunk?

"What do you have in there Potter?" Draco asked with what would pass as enthusiasm.

"I don't know, lots of stuff. Do you know the ingredients you need?"

"Of course I do Potter! I'll have you know, all my tutors said I was a prodigy at potions!" Draco responded, sounding both indignant and pompous. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. _**Finite Incantatem**_." Harry called out after he had placed his trunk on the ground in the only space available. The container quickly resumed its normal size.

"Merlin Potter, you don't know how lucky you are." Draco said in awe. Harry just shrugged before shoving his wand in the third keyhole and opening the lid to reveal the dedicated potions ingredient section of his trunk. Once the lid was popped open, Draco moved forward to get a better look.

"Po…Potter! How do you still have all this!?" Draco stammered. The compartment was chalk full with various potion supplies, all in stasis and fresh. It was ridiculous to consider such a treasure trove was in Potter's hands. While the Galleon amount spent on all this was indeed impressive, it was the fact that the golden boy of Gryffindor, who was _nearly_ as bad as Longbottom had been in potions, had all this that irked Draco something fierce.

"Sweet Merlin Potter, is this the Master's Starter Kit?" Draco asked as he spied several rare ingredients that he _knew_ cost a fortune. Gillyweed was two hundred galleons an ounce for Merlin sakes!

"Hermione recommended it in case I ever wanted to try and improve my potion skills. Will there be enough?" Harry asked anxiously, his earlier anger and irritation towards Draco gone. In the past, while he was still young, Harry had taken to lying to himself about several things. One such thing was that Draco was terrible at everything. Now though, he accepted the fact that the Malfoy heir was leaps and bounds better at creating potions than he was.

"It's hard to say…I need lacewing flies and the hearts of flubberworms for both the restorative draughts and the Doxy antivenom…." Draco replied absent mindedly, thinking hard calculating the potion requirements. He didn't know how many they would need…and the only way to be sure was to take the two out of stasis to run medical spells all over them. That option had all sorts of things that could go wrong however…

"Damn!" Draco said suddenly. No matter how he divvied it up, there just were not enough ingredients to make more than two restorative draughts and two high potency doxy antivenom.

"Whats wrong?" Harry asked with worry.

"There isn't enough. The restorative draughts are almost as important as the antivenom. There isn't enough to make the amount we need."

"I don't remember all that I have but I still have some potions left in another section." Harry said, causing Draco to slowly turn and look the boy savior in the eyes.

"Why, in the name of Magic, didn't you say something before you bloody imbecile!" Draco yelled suddenly.

"It didn't come to mind!" Harry yelled back defensively.

"'It didn't come to mind?'" Draco parroted back, doing a poor impression of Harry. At least Harry thought so.

"I was thinking of Hermione being, you know, alive! Just budge over you git!" Harry spat out, pushing Malfoy out of the way and closing the lid. He stuck his wand in a new keyhole before twisting and opening the lid. Draco pushed him aside the second the lid opened. Rather than get angry….well ok he was angry at being shoved, but instead of retaliating Harry took in Draco's frantic movements as he searched through his potion stockpile.

'_He seems really driven…'_ Harry though in confusion. Who would have thought Draco Malfoy would be working at a frantic pace to save a muggle-born?

Draco sorted through the potions in the last Potter's trunk with furious efficiency. _'At least the bottles are labeled'_ Draco though with a snort. He had half expected bottle being strewn all which ways with no identifiable markings at all!

Still, even not fully stocked, Potter's potion section was a massive windfall, especially in the current circumstances. The young Malfoy was able to find four…_four_ restorative draughts and even a single use vial of standard strength Doxy antvenom! He quickly pulled them out along with three pain reliever potions. Standing up, he took all the bottles and vials and placed them on the night stand/table thing inside the bedroom of the camper.

"Open the ingredients back up Potter. We might have a chance now." Draco commanded, lining up the potions in two separate groups, one for each woman in stasis. The Doxy antivenom was a real boon, Draco cursed and praised Harry's luck once more. He could use the one dose in conjunction with the higher potency one, giving it more volume and increasing the period in which it was effective.

Forty five seconds later and Draco was kneeling back at the trunk pulling ingredients out hand over fist, passing them to Harry as he went. Two cutting knives and a magical chopping board along with numerous empty jars soon made their way into Harry's hands as well.

For his part, Harry was just grateful that Draco was willing to use his knowledge to help. Harry had briefly considered what he would have to do, either plead or threaten the Malfoy heir to get the job done. Luckily neither option was needed as Draco worked at a furious pace with no additional prodding.

"Can you dice Potter?" Draco suddenly questioned.

"What?"

"_Dice_ Potter, dice! How did you get the grade you got in potions?" Draco replied heatedly, causing Harry's face to burn from both anger and embarrassment.

"I can dice Malfoy."

"Get to it then, Dice the melborne leaves and the flubberworm hearts. Ill chop the flies and grind the doxy skin to powder."

Harry and Draco spent the next half-hour preparing the ingredients for the variety of potions. Light had begun to creep up into the sky. Morning had arrived.

"Alright. Put each ingredient into a separate container. " Draco commanded, bottling his own set of prepared ingredients. Harry quickly followed suit.

"Okay, what now?"

"Now, Potter, _I _go to the fire and start preparing potions. _You_ can do…whatever it is you do. But first, get the other cauldron." Draco replied, before grabbing the filled containers and the single pewter cauldron. Harry picked up his second pewter cauldron before he moved to the camper's door immediately, opening and holding it open for Draco to come out.

"Finally learning your place Potter? Serving a Malfoy looks good on you." Draco said with a superior smirk while walking off. Harry just glowered at the other wizard as he pursued him. It was impossible not to notice the smell or that the woman who was keeling over the dead girl's body hadn't moved.

'_She must have been important to her.'_ Harry thought with sadness. He could tell that the group, now significantly smaller, was in shock over the brutal events of the night. Some people were still milling round, Rick held his family close still. Daryl was walking around stabbing the corpse's heads. Shane was busy reloading guns and scanning for danger every now and then. Tents laid in ruins and many of the people could be seen crying over specific bodies. Harry kept walking through the destruction.

Upon reaching Draco he watched as the other wizard opened up a container of water before pouring some of it into Harry's cauldrons, complete with stirrers. He then immediately started adding a few of the ingredients to both magical pots.

"I've started Potter, it's going to take thirty minutes or more, depending on the fire's temperature." Draco said with his attention concentrated on the two pots. He had to put in several ingredients at the right time or the potion would spoil. Blast the muggles, if they weren't around he could have used magic to keep the fire temperature constant.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry sat down on a nearby log, half watching Draco and half thinking about the whirlwind of events that had happened. He had found a remnant of his world...had found Hermione alive! Had found Andromeda alive! Only to then have the harsh reality of their situation slap him in the face.

They were alive…for now. Oh how Harry hated whatever power kept throwing these punches. One would thing that after fulfilling the thrice damned he would get a little break.

"What about Teddy!?" Harry questioned loudly and suddenly. Damn it all! How could he forget…it was an impossible thought! Draco was there! Andromeda and Hermione were there! Those three surprises, coupled by the two women's condition had temporarily taken the precedent and had pushed Harry's thoughts about his godson to the side.

"The half-breed were-child?" Draco questioned, not taking his eyes off the cauldrons. He sat there, stirring with both hands, periodically stopping one and grabbing an ingredient to add.

"Don't talk about him like that!" Harry snapped. He had wanted to punch Malfoy then, a second strike would have been just as satisfying as the first.

"I'm just stating the facts!"

"Well don't then. Do you know or not." Harry bit out, his patients wearing thin.

"Yes Potter…I told you already." Draco replied slowly, as if talking to a slow child. Harry jumped up from his position in anger.

"What!? No you didn't! Where is he?" He demanded, yelling at the snotty Malfoy heir. His outburst then had drawn the attention of most people in the group. Shane in particular had got up from his gun work and headed over towards the two. Harry didn't pay him any mind however. His attention was focused completely on Draco.

"What...will you give me in return?" Draco asked, the hint of a smirk easily detectable in his voice.

"Wha…what! How can you ask that!?" Harry asked, flabbergasted. How…how could he ask for something in exchange?

"I already told you once Potty and you ignored me. The second time requires payment." Draco replied while continuing to stir.

"How about I don't beat you to within an inch of your life?" Harry growled out in barely repressed rage. His anger was so great that, for a moment, he felt that his previous failure of a spell against Bellatrix would easily succeed on the young Malfoy. He tossed the thought away quickly though. He had vowed to himself never to use that, never to even _try_ that again.

It was still a tempting thought.

Shane had finally reached the two in time to hear Harry's somewhat threat. Everyone was still tense, but Shane was the Alpha Male of the group and was responsible for their wellbeing. Having just failed spectacularly that night, losing close to three questers of the group, he was on the edge of his hair trigger temper.

"Hey now, Harry was it? We don't need any of that now. Let's calm down, alright?" Shane said in what he termed his 'friendly' voice. Harry glanced up at him briefly before focusing back on Draco.

"Your presence is not useful Shane." Draco remarked after the officer's attempt at placation.

Draco was apprehensive and Shane's presence didn't reassure the Slytherin one tiny bit. He could clearly recall the threat Harry had issued to him and his family the day of their trial. Harry may not have been Head Boy or even a prefect, but he did fight Voldemort and his forces. He had gone and dueled the Dark Lord, ending the war by being the only one left alive. This was a side of Potter that not many saw, a side Draco didn't want to see pointed in his direction. Still, he did have room to maneuver. Leverage, as one might say.

Draco scoffed to cover up his unease before addressing the last Potter.

"Even you aren't that stupid of a Gryffindor. I'm the only one who can make these pot…err medicine." Draco said, quickly covering his almost mistake with the 'muggle' terminology.

"Maybe I'll wait until you're done." Harry declared menacingly.

"For Merlin sakes Potter you don't _tell_ your victim what you're going to do! Honestly!" Harry may have been a Gryffindor but had the boy no subtlety at _all? _ You don't just come out and tell the person what you have planned. When you do that you remove the mystery, the suspense, the anxiety over what will happen next!

"Woah Harry, that's uncalled for. You really need to calm down. I don't want to have to force you, ya' hear?" Shane said, still using his 'friendly' tone.

_'__Merlin save me'_ Draco though, exasperated. That was all he needed right now. In the middle of brewing the potion to save his las….to save the two witches lives he had a muggle throwing rocks at an angry hippogryph! Figuratively speaking of course.

"I am calm…and he has information I need!" Harry yelled.

"Be that as it may…" Shane started before Draco, deciding he had had his fun, interrupted him.

"I told you already Potter. You've already seen him." He looked up in time to see Harry's mouth drop open. The sight brought Draco a small sense of satisfaction. The world may have ended, but he still enjoyed sticking it to Boy-Who-Lived.

"Wha..What? What do you mean iv….." Harry stammered out. His concentration was so focused, his mind furiously running over all the interactions he had, that he couldn't even complete his sentence. He had already seen him? That…that was impossible! He hadn't seen him! He would have recog…..

"That woman. Jacquie!" Harry yelled out as he connected the dots. She had walked right past him and he hadn't noticed his godson!?

"Where is she?" He asked the Malfoy. After a second of no response Harry started walking towards the largest concentration of people, looking around frantically trying to spot the woman.

"Calm down man." Shane said, his tone firmer than it had been. He had only half paid attention to the conversation the two were having, most of his concentration was on the relative unknown person who had threatened a member of his group. Sure Rick said he was a good guy, but he had only known him for less than a day. He quickly stepped into Harry's path.

"Get out of my way." Harry said

"You need to calm_ down_ Harry." Rick, having been alerted to the possible trouble, said as he approached the newcomer and Shane. Loir held Carl next to her as she looked on. Arguments were somewhat common, the two most recent coming down to physical altercations. But this new person…she didn't know what to think of him. Rick said he was ok, and he had saved her and Carl from the walkers when Shane's guns jammed…but they still didn't know him well enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I need to find that woman, Jacquie." Harry responded as he looked around Shane. The majority of the group had gathered near the argument, making it easier to look them all over. When an older man with a fishing hat on moved to one side he spotted her then.

She was still carrying the child he had seen earlier. He had originally thought it was just some child from the group. Now though, now he knew better! He tried to move around the man blocking his path to head towards her but was quickly stopped in his tacks when Shane grabbed his arm.

"Easy partner." Shane said as a warning.

"Let go of me." Harry demanded.

"No can do." Shane replied simply. Harry felt his anger spike again at the man's blasé attitude. Who did he think he was?

Pulling his Auror training to the front of his mind, the green eyed wizard raised his held arm while grabbing the man's wrist with his other hand. Shane retaliated by grabbing Harry at the juncture of his neck and shoulder, hitting the pressure point and applying as much pressure as he could. While Shane was physically stronger, Harry hadn't gotten top marks as an Auror trainee for nothing. Gathering his willpower he focused his magic before punching Shane in the chest with his left hand while yelling '**Depulso' **in his head. The result of the spell was underwhelming, but it added enough to his punch that Shane stumbled backwards before tripping and crashing to the ground. There were several gasps heard but Harry paid them little mind.

During the mock duel sessions at the Auror headquarters, Harry had very little success using any wandless offensive or defensive spells on other witches and wizards. During his off hours practice, he had only been able to knock a stack of books over at fifteen feet with his wandless depulso, the most common distance between duelers, making it highly ineffective as even a minor distraction. Against a muggle in a brawl however, it proved to be fairly effective in augmenting his punch.

Harry stepped around the downed man and made his way towards the woman holding his godson. His movement was stopped, however, when he heard the telltale sound of a gun being pulled from its holster.

Shane hadn't known what hit him, he didn't think that kid could punch that hard. Regardless of expectations, the kid had virtually floored him. Not making the same mistake twice, Shane pulled his service pistol from its holster. He was immensely pleased when he saw Rick pull his revolver out as well. Shane then noticed Lori and Carl in the background, both looking nervous while Lori looked closer to being shocked and scared. That riled his blood up something fierce. He licked his lips as he pointed his pistol at Harry's back.

"I don't think you need…" Draco started to say with an uneasy voice. None of this had a part in his plan to rile Potter up. If he had just listened the first time….

"Shut up Draco." Shane spat. He may not like the kid, but he was still a part of _his_ group and he wouldn't let anyone threaten his group members.

Rick didn't understand what was going on, but one thing was certain. Whatever it was, it was spiraling out of control, and fast. He resolved to try and talk everyone down because he knew that Shane would pull the trigger if he needed to. Rick also knew that, deep down, Shane would feel terrible about killing someone over a misunderstanding, or whatever it was.

"Harry. You need to think about what you're doing." Rick said in a calm and authoritative voice, "You need to calm down. Folks are on edge enough as it is."

"I need to talk to Jacquie"

"You think I'ma 'bout to let you near her and tha' kid? No chance partner." Shane growled from his spot on the ground. He kept his gun trained on the Brit's back.

"You don't understand, that's Teddy!" Harry replied, turning towards Rick and Shane.

"So you know the boy's name. I have a mind to get you away from the group, not even counting the kid." Shane stated, slowing getting up off the ground and into a crouched position. He never wavered the gun's sight for an instant, even as the Brit turned to face them.

Harry scoffed at the man's bravado before turning back to the black woman.

"Teddy!"

"That's enough of that now!" Shane yelled as he assumed a more tactical shooting position. Rick glanced over at his partner when he heard the cocking sound. Shane was being awfully aggressive at the moment….something Rick decided to attribute to nerves from last night's attack. He still hadn't raised his own gun, however, in the hopes that whatever this situation was could still be resolved. From the desperation in Harry's voice Rick could tell it was important, that he believed the child was a Teddy he was looking for. He was about to attempt to calm Harry again when a soft voice interrupted him.

"Uncie Hawwee?" Teddy questioned sleepily, twisting and turning in the blanket. Teddy knew that voice, he had heard it enough at the Quidditch matches he had gone to with his Uncie Hawwee and Uncie Won. They sure liked to yell at the people on the brooms. They must always be doing something bad!

But Hawwee was here? He hadn't been before. Teddy would be so happy if he was. Ever since his granma and auntie got sick he had been awful lonely. D'agoon had helped some, but he wasn't as much fun. He twisted farther to get around the warm blanket he was in and look for his Uncie. His blue eyes (for now) locked onto his godfather and immediately his drowsiness was gone, replaced by a bubbly joy.

"Uncie Hawwee! " Teddy yelled, his reaching an extremely high octave as he squirmed in the nice lady's arms. She was nice and warm, but he needed to get to his Hawwee! The rest of the group, meanwhile, was caught flatfooted at the sudden change in atmosphere. Before, where there had been tension and the significant chance of a physical altercation, now there was a much lighter feeling. Even Shane had lowered his gun slightly at the happy tone the boy had used.

Harry's heart had stopped the second he saw his godson's face. It restarted, beating faster than ever before when he heard his happy, chirpy yell.

"Teddy! Merlin Teddy yes! Yes it's me!" Harry yelled as tears streaked down his face. He ran towards his godson, headless of the looks from the other people or the potential gun at his back. The woman, Jacquie, still hadn't put Teddy down. That didn't matter to the two year old metamorphmagus though who simply extended his hands in the universal 'hug me' sign, all the while yelling 'Uncie Hawwee!'.

Harry was unequivocally, irrationally, deliriously happy to oblige. As soon as his godson was in his arms, Harry squeezed him in one of the happiest hugs he had ever given in his entire life. He wasn't ashamed of the tears that steamed down his face as he kissed the brownish (for now) mop of hair. To think that, just two weeks ago, Harry was under the delusion that Teddy had been dead. He had lost all hope. Now, now he felt like he would burst with all the emotions he was feeling. Happiness, relief, joy, all magnified by a factor of ten! Harry didn't know how happy Teddy was to see him, but if the death grip he currently held around his neck was any indication, he was more than pleased.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Shane stood staring at the scene incredulously. He had since lowered his gun but was still shocked at the turn of events. It hadn't even been a week since Rick was reunited with his family, only to now have a second family reunion? What were the odds? He chanced a glance over at Rick and was not surprised to see the man having tears in his eyes.

Rick watched on with a wealth of emotions. While it had been a rocky start, the reunion was the definition of heartwarming. He looked down at Shane, giving him a small nod and a smile to show that everything was alright now. Rick turned back then, to his own family, and saw the myriad of emotions playing on his wife's face. It was clear to him that she was reliving that moment, five days ago, when she and Carl saw him alive for the first time. He gestured for them to come over. Carl detached from his mother's side and ran to his father, encasing him in a watery hug when he bent down to his level. The former officer stood up, his son in his arms as he wife walked up to his side. She gave him a brief, teary smile before hugging both him and Carl in one big family hug.

Shane, after standing up, looked on with envy at the Rick and his family. He was happy his best friend, his brother in all but blood, was alive. So he squashed that nasty feeling of jealously as best he could. When he looked at the other reunited family he saw that the majority of the group, save for Andrea, had gathered around the happy duo offering their congratulations.

_'__Something's gotta be done. And soon.' _Shane thought as he looked at Andrea kneeling over he sister's corpse. They had already made sure the rest of the bodies were well and truly dead, the only one left was Amy. He resolved to deal with it in short order.

Draco, meanwhile, was cursing his lack of attention on the potions. Potter's sappy reunion with his half-breed were-child had stolen his attention almost long enough to ruin the potions. He scowled at himself as he refocused and continued his work. The bloody Potter heir had so much luck it was unbelievable. Here, amongst the end of humanity, he was actually able to find family and friends. The damn 'Chosen one' didn't know how good he had it, how lucky he was. It was all unfair! After the Manor…

Draco quickly shot down the thoughts about his former home, taking a deep and settling breath. He had to concentrate. Anger and sadness would only get in the way of the delicate process he was currently engaged in. He had almost botched the whole thing once already. He had to save And….the two witches and he would be damned if they died because he didn't concentrate hard enough.

Harry and Teddy meanwhile got reacquainted with each other while the rest of the group passed along their happiness at the newly reunited family. Jacquie stepped forward as the others left and cleared her throat.

"Hey there honey. We got off on the wrong foot. My name's Jacquie" She said and offered her out of habit hand. She quickly retracted it with a laugh and a small smile from Harry. He did have both hands full, after all.

"Nice you meet you Jacquie." Teddy chose that time to pull his face from where he had buried it in Harry's neck and look around.

"Ja'quee! This is Hawwee!" the boy explained. He pointed at Harry's face, as if to make sure she knew who he was talking about.

"That's great sweetie! I know you've been missing him a long time."

"Ya'huh!" Teddy said before turning back to Harry with a big smile. The young wizard shifted his godson into one hand so he could use the other to tweak the boy's nose. Teddy immediately clasped both of his hands over his nose with a pout.

"Hawwee!" the boy wined at his treatment. Harry just laughed before turning back to the woman.

"I'm Harry. And you already know this little trouble maker!"

" 'm not a trouble macur!" Teddy replied with a supreme amount of indignation, eliciting a laugh from both adults.

"Thank you for taking care of him. I..I can't tell you how much it means that I found him!" Harry choked out through the lump in his throat. Mere words were not enough to convey his gratitude but they would have to do for now. Teddy was in his arms, alive! Jacquie smiled at his attempt.

"It's ok, he's a great kid. Aren't you kiddo?" She asked.

"Yep!" Teddy replied, popping the p and nodding his head vigorously. Harry smiled at his antics.

"Those are some interesting pots." She suddenly remarked, looking at the cauldrons Draco was presiding over. Harry's good mood suddenly became more nervousness than happiness.

"Yeah…they're good for brewing strong teas…you know…errr homeopathic things." Harry lied badly, saying the first thought that came to mind.

To his enormous relief, Jacquie just nodded.

"Alright. Well, I have to help with the cleanup. I look forward to getting to know you better Uncie Hawwee." Jacquie said with a smile before walking off leaving the two alone together.

"I am so, so happy to have found you Teddy. Did you miss me?"

"Yeah! You were seeping wast time I saw you. Were you tired?" Teddy asked. Harry had always loved how inquisitive Teddy had been, even as a child. He knew he was going to be one smart lad one day.

"Yes Teddy, I was very sleepy but I'm all better now."

"Granma always says to get to bed early or you not get a good night sleep!"

"That's _won't_ get a good _nights _sleep."

"Dats what I said." Teddy replied in confusion. Harry just chuckled as he walked back to the log he had sat on earlier. That action had a very humorous consequence…

"D'agoon! D'agoon! Look look! Hawwee is here."

"I told you not to call me that name!" Malfoy snapped with surprisingly no heat. He kept his eyes glued to the cauldrons.

"But dats your name silly!" Teddy said with a huff. Harry thought that was priceless, Draco thought it was demeaning.

_'__Blasted child! When will he learn to pronounce things correctly!' _Draco thought as he added the last bit of ingredient to the two potions. The Restorative draught and the Doxy antienom were odd in the sense that they took the exact same time to produce and shared a number of ingredients.

_'__Now all that's left is to wait for them to finish.'_ Draco mused.

"How long until then?" Harry asked as Teddy played with his necklace.

"What?" Draco asked. Had he said that out loud?

"You said all that's left is to wait. How long?"

"Approximately forty minutes. " Draco responded as he repositioned himself on the log.

"No! We bury our dead, we don't burn them!" Glenn yelled from the other side of camp. Harry and Draco recognized it instantly while having not so dissimilar thoughts.

"He is such an overdramatic _woman._" Draco said mostly to himself. Harry mildly agreed with him, but he would never say it out loud. If there was one thing he learned with the Vatos, it was that energy was at a premium. Digging so many holes just seemed….like a colossal waste of effort.

"So tell me Malfoy, how did you get here with Hermione, Andromeda, and Teddy?" Harry asked as politely as he could stomach, given the person he asked. He still held Teddy in his arms, randomly poking his nose while the boy tried to swat his hand away. The quiet giggles was music to Harry's ears.

"I don't want to talk about it Potter." Draco replied, cringing inwardly. Who did he think he was? Asking such questions…

"Ohhh D'agoon tells the bestest stories Uncie Hawwee! The bestest!" Teddy exclaimed, waving his hands in the air to emphasize his point. Harry was then treated to the sight of Draco pinking slightly, mist likely in embarrassment.

"I do not tell good stories!" The Malfoy heir argued spluttered back.

"Do too!"

"No I don't!"

"Do too, do too, doootooooo!" Teddy sang back.

"Blasted child! " Draco murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose. Harry, meanwhile, was trying to hold on to Teddy while shaking with laughter.

"It's not funny Potter!" Draco snarled. Not even a day in camp and the bloody Golden lion was ganging up on him already.

"You…you're arguing with a two year old." Harry managed to get out.

Draco had opened his mouth to spit out a particularly scathing remark, no really, Potter would have needed an ointment, when Jacquie's frantic voice cut through the camp.

"Hes bit! Hes bit! A walker bit Jim!" Jacquie yelled, pointing at Jim. Harry and Draco both turned their heads sharply at the yell. Someone was bit? Harry held Teddy closer, keeping him from running off as he scanned the area. All the walkers were down and truly dead…

Everyone else began to gather, most picking up weapons on the way. Soon a man that Harry assumed to be Jim was standing in the center of a loose circle. He had picked up a shovel at some point and was using it to fend off the others. Harry and Draco watched as T-Dog ran up from behind Jim and incapacitated his arms while Daryl moved forward. He lifted Jim's shirt before letting it go and backing away. The brief time skin was shown was more than enough for everyone to see the giant bite on his side.

"I'm ok, I'm ok. I'm ok…..I'm ok." Jim repeated, over and over again. His voice got quieter and quieter as reality set in. For a brief second, Harry had thought he had seen some sort of…transparent blackness pulsating in the wound. But it was covered up just as quickly as it was revealed and no one else seemed to see it.

"He's not ok." Draco said from his log, his attention back on the cauldrons. Draco didn't really care if Jim was bit. He liked the guy, sure. He was decent, for a muggle anyway. Easygoing and a good listener. But the simple fact of the matter was, he was going to die. Jim was already dead; it would just take his body some time to finally realize it.

"I know Draco. Do we…know how long it will take?" Harry asked, censoring his words around Teddy. It may be a lost cause, what with all the death the boy had undoubtedly seen, but he would be damned if he didn't try.

"No…yes…it varies Potter. Amy over there hasn't gotten up yet and it's been hours now." Draco replied, absently gesturing to woman kneeling next to the girl's corpse. Harry watched as Shane and T-Dog tied Jim's arms to his side and then fastened him to the back of the camper. Several small congregations of people were huddled together talking, discussing no doubt, what had happened. The green eyed wizard turned his attention back to Teddy and Draco. He was still an outsider here, having just come into the group so he felt that he didn't have a say.

"They're ready." Draco suddenly announced, taking the cauldrons off the fire and pouring them into several bottles. Harry stood up carefully, still mindful of the precious cargo he held in his arms.

"Wats ready?" Teddy asked looking between Draco and his godfather.

"Medicine for Grammy and auntie Hermione, Ted."

"To make dem wake up?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

"Ok, lets dooo its!" Teddy said with a serious nod. After all, if his granma and auntie had been asleep for WAY too long! If he had been asleep that long he would have been yelled at! They were very naughty!

Harry was in full agreement with his godson.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

The three magicals had proceeded at a hurried clip back to and into the camper. Harry carefully placed Teddy down on one of the bench seats before ordering him to stay put. Draco opened up the two containers of Doxy antivenom before drawing is wand. Harry had to marvel at how concealed Draco's holster was. He hadn't even been wearing long sleeves!

"Alright, what now Malfoy?" Harry asked, completely unsure about the procedure.

"I need to magic the potions into both of them. The antivenom first and the restorative draught at ten minute intervals. "

"Why ten minute intervals?"

"Really Potter? Did you _ever_ pay attention in potions? It takes the body ten minutes to completely absorb a restorative draught. They need three a piece." Draco replied in annoyance. How Harry got into Slughorn's class he would never know.

"First I have to release the stasis….one at a time." Draco said as he positioned a bottle of antivenom on each of the women's stomach. After the placement was completed, Draco took a step back and turning towards the camper door. A few wand waves later and a notice me not charm was palced on the door to keep any….interruptions at bay. Turing back to the witches and taking in a deep, steading breath, he started the process.

"**Finite Incantatem**." Draco cast over Hermione. Almost immediately her peaceful face contorted into a small grimaced. Even unconscious she was in pain….Draco quickly magiced the potion into Granger's stomach. Both young men held their breaths as the potion did its work. At the five minute mark Draco cast a diagnostic spell over the prone witch.

"It's working." Draco said after interpreting the results of the scan.

"How can you tell?"

"The venom levels are dropping. I'm going to give it another five minutes…"

"How come she isn't waking up?"

"Merlin Potter, give it a chance. The venom has spread through most of her body…there is _a lot_ of damage." Draco replied.

"You do know the transference spell correct?"

"Yeah…."

"Good…good. Okay. I am going to setup the restorative draughts. Only transfer one every ten minutes, understood?" Draco asked as he placed three of Harry's restorative draughts on Hermione's belly.

"Yeah. Got it."

"Alright…here we go." Draco let out a ragged breath. He quickly magiced the potion into Andromeda stomach after he canceled the stasis spell on her. With that bottle empty, he removed it and positioned the three restorative draughts.

"OK…first one Potter!" Draco ordered. Harry cast the spell as soon as Draco spoke. A slightly blurry wall of text appeared over each woman as the Malfoy heir cast the diagnostic spell over them both. Harry had no idea what he was reading, but Draco seemed pleased.

"Good….good things are moving nicely. Second one Potter!" Draco commanded as he magiced the first restorative draught into Andromeda. Soon enough, all the potions had been absorbed into the two witches' bodies. Harry looked on hopefully while Draco kept casting he diagnostic spell.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"It's good. The damage to their bodies is getting better."

"How long until they wake up?"

"I have no idea Potter! The doxy venom had enough time to damage all their major organs so it could be awhile. " Draco responded, keeping a close eye on the diagnostic spell results. Harry decided to back out and go hold Teddy as the other wizard seemed to have everything under control.

"Are they up now?" Teddy asked after he returned to his new favorite position in Harry's arms.

"Not yet little guy. But soon." Harry promised. He listened to Teddy's random babbling about the 'adventures' he had while Harry was 'sleeping'. The young metamorphous seemed to have particularly enjoyed some type of frog hunt.

A few seconds into Teddy's next story a small commotion happened near the camper outside. Raised and tense voices could be heard but not understood. Harry shushed Teddy for a second in the hopes that he could strain his ears enough to comprehend what the others were saying but was unable too. The argument kept going for long enough that Harry was concerned.

"Draco, watch Teddy. I'm going to go see what they are arguing about."

"Whatever Potter. Ever since Rick came back Shane's been arguing with everyone. It's probably nothing."

"I'm still going." Harry responded before patting Teddy on the head and exiting the camper. He carefully moved around the woman, Andrea he learned, when immediately saw the small throng of people, including Rick and Shane, in a fierce debate. Harry approached them and listened in.

"The military was on the front lines, we saw them get overrun. We all saw it happen!" Rick spoke with conviction.

"The CDC…it would be the only place that they could fight whatever this is and win. The military would have guarded it at all costs. There _has_ to be someone there. Shelter, food, protection! Maybe even a cure for Jim. "

"It's an awful risk Rick." Shane rejoined.

"A risk we need to take! We can't stay here. Where else could we go? "

The surviving group members continued to argue about what should be done with Jim and what direction the group should head off to. Everything got real heated for moment when Daryl grabbed his pickaxe and went to kill Jim. Rick had put a gun to Daryl head at that point. The camp had gone silent at the confrontation, making Rick's words easy to hear.

"We _don't _kill the living." Rick said sternly. Harry thought that was entirely hypocritical. He was pointing a firearm at his head for Merlin sakes! Daryl soon stomped off in a random direction away from the group, obviously still angry. Rick then grabbed Jim and started hauling him towards the camper's entrance, Shane following closely behind. Everyone in camp was able to hear the two's conversation about the bitten group member.

"Where are you taking him Rick?" Shane asked.

"I'm putting him in the back of the camper. " Rick responded.

Harry started badly when he heard that. Before he could start talking Shane came to the rescue.

"What? You can't do that Rick, its occupied." Shane said quickly.

"Occupied? Oh…right….the Brits…how are they doing?"

"Not too well. The blonde brat has been taking care of them and they weren't walkers last time I checked."

"Fine…lets put him in the back of the van then." Rick decided, amending his plan and heading towards the truck. Harry let out a small sigh of relief. He hadn't wanted to cause waves…but brining an infected man so close to Hermione and Andromeda? That simply wasn't an option.

The group split up then, each member going around to do some sort of chore. Harry just stood there, watching, debating on how to contribute to the cleanup. During his internal debate Glenn headed in his direction.

"Hey Harry." The Asian greeted.

"Hey Glenn, how're you holding up?" Harry asked. The man was still slightly pale and jittery from the attack.

"I'm doing fine. Its just…all that happened? All the people who died….you can't get used to that." Glenn responded, his voice thick with emotion as he remembered the attack.

"No…but it would make it easier." Harry responded. His mind jumped back to the war and all the death that had happened in its wake. He had thought, many times, if it wouldn't be better to just…turn off his emotions. To not be distracted by grief, anger, and sadness. Now, like every time back then, he decided against it.

"Easier? Sure, but we wouldn't be human anymore. What's the point in living and fighting walkers when you are already dead inside?" Glenn responded. Harry was mildly impressed with the strength of his conviction on the matter. Maybe there _was_ someone strong inside Glenn. Neville, after all, had surprised everyone with his strength of character in the end. Harry grimaced slightly at the pain he felt in his chest. Just thinking of his fellow Gryffindor caused his heart to ache.

The entire camp stopped in an instant when a soft moaning could be heard. People frantically looked around for the source of the sound before focusing solely on Andrea and her dead sister. Well, mostly dead seeing as she was moving and moaning again. Harry felt a slight chill at the sight. He hadn't seen the young girl alive, but the fact that he knew she had been before the attack made his stomach turn. Sure he had fought walkers before…but not fresh ones, not ones that had been talking and laughing…_alive_ mere hours ago.

Several group members, including Rick and Shane, headed over to the newly reanimated corpse with their weapons drawn. Everyone stopped their advance on the corpse when they saw Andrea holding it up to her body in a hug. The newly animated walker snapped desperately trying to tear off pieces of Andrea's flesh. Harry didn't know whether to be revolved or touched at the sight of the woman paying her last respects to her sister.

The situation came to an abrupt end when Andrea leaned forward.

"I'm so sorry. I love you Amy!" She called out before putting her pistol to the walker's head and pulling the trigger. The gunshot echoed all around the camp signaling the end of the newly turned walker. Dale hurried over and wrapped the distraught woman in a fierce hug. Harry made his way back to the camper thinking about the recent event.

_'__That gunshot was so close, I bet Teddy is scared.'_ He thought as he spared one last glance at the sobbing woman before entering the camper. Harry could see Teddy holding onto Draco's leg as the both of them watched the two uncurious women, seemingly unconcerned with the recent excitement.

"Are dey going to wake up sooon?" Teddy asked.

"Maybe."

"When is that?"

"I don't know brat."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't tell how long it will take to repair all the damage."

"Why?"

"I'm not a healer. I only learned these things from Madam Pomfrey before we had to evacuate Hogwarts."

"Why?"

"Because I never considered being a healer as a profession for a Malfoy."

"Why?"

"Stop with the bloody 'why's Teddy!" Draco snapped when his patients finally ended, earning a strong huff from the little boy. Harry, for his part in the classic 'why' paradox, was amazed at what he had seen. He could easily see that Teddy was not upset in the slightest by Draco's rude and abrupt shutdown of his questions. Indeed, Draco hadn't sounded malicious in the smallest bit. It was almost like the two had that situation happen often…

Harry felt another pang in his chest at the thought. He had missed so much of Teddy's life! He had missed his second birthday! He hadn't been there to protect him, to help him during this nightmare of an apocalypse. Harry could easily sense the underlying jealousy he had of Malfoy's interaction with his godson. It irked him as well as relived him, for some reason.

"What was that all about Potter?" Draco asked, looking over his shoulder at the wizard. Teddy's attention was quickly diverted back to Harry. The little boy ran over and jumped into his godfather's waiting arms.

"An argument about where to go and putting down a new walker." Harry informed, shifting Teddy around a bit to get more comfortable.

"Ah" the young Malfoy responded.

"D'agoon says he don't know when granma and auntie will wake up." Teddy said, eliciting an exasperated sight from Draco at the constant butchery of his name.

Harry ignored Draco in favor of talking with his godson. Again, he was regaled with stories of adventure and triumph by the two year old. The broken or mispronounced words making Harry smile as he gently corrected them. Sometime during the storytelling Draco had sat down and closed his eyes. He didn't sleep though, as every few minutes he would recast the diagnostic spell to keep an eye on their patients' progress.

Approximately two hours later a bastardized service was held for the members of the group that lost their lives the previous night. Everyone just stood around the graves and mourned in their own way. Harry and Teddy attended while Draco stood in the doorway of the camper. Few words were spoken. The most emotional part happened when Harry's heart went out to Andrea as she struggled to move her sister's body into its grave. She waved off all efforts of help, demanding that she do it herself. No one, not Hermione or Ron or Luna had been allowed to help Harry dig the grave for Dobby. So yeah, Harry knew how she felt and had to admire her drive.

The group quickly dispersed after the makeshift funerals were over, Draco immediately disappearing back into the rear of the camper. Rick, Harry saw, headed over to a Latino family and engaged in a conversation. Harry and Teddy walked around talking with several people. The woman and young girl Harry had saved near the camper during the attack were very pleasant. The woman, Carol, and her daughter, Sophia absolutely adored Teddy. The young girl kept the two year old entertained while Harry learned more about Carol.

"We would help Hermione and 'Dromie take care of Teddy every now and then. Sophia loves him to bits. " Carol told harry as the two adults watched the children play.

"It's good for her." She concluded. And it was true. Every time Sophia was feeling down or her…_husband_ was being particularly vicious, Teddy always managed to cheer her up. Carol hadn't gotten to spend a great deal of time with the child due to her being 'forbidden' by her now dead husband from having anything to do with him.

_"__He ain't your child. Deal with our own woman."_ He had said one night. Carol had no choice but to follow his order.

Now though, it was like breathing fresh air again. The abusive asshole was dead and she still had her daughter. Things were looking up.

Another fifteen minutes of swapping stories passed before Rick and the Latino family moved towards the center of the gathering.

"Alright everyone, gather up. We need to talk." Rick said. Everyone grouped up again, all looking at Rick expectantly.

"We've decided on a direction. We are heading to the CDC." Rick stated bluntly. Several people looked around the group gauging the reactions which, for the most part, were subdued.

"I think it's our best shot. And it's the closest possible place of safety." Rick explained. Everyone seemed to be in agreement, even Shane stood by Rick's decision. Harry also felt it was a good idea. Since this was a disease of some sort, the governments of the world would have poured money, people, resources, and military protection right into places like the CDC in the hopes of combating the infection. It seemed like the logical decision.

"We're not going with you." The Latino man Rick had been talking with earlier stated. Several people gasped in shock.

"Are you sure?" Rick asked. He really didn't want to lose anyone, and going off alone was a recipe for disaster.

"We're sure. We talked about it. We have some family in Birmingham, we are going there." The wife stated.

"Going off all on your own with no one to watch your back?" Shane asked, incredulous.

"_I've_ got to do what's right for _my _family." The husband said with conviction, stressing several words as he looked at Rick. Shane looked to Rick, both sharing a nod.

"If your sure…" Rick started…

"We are."

"Well…alright then." He responded with a nod. Shane and Rick then rifled around in their bag before pulling out a revolver and a box of ammo.

"The box is half full." Shane said as he handed it over. Daryl scoffed before heading over to his vehicle.

"Good luck to you." Rick said to the man and his family.

"Good luck to all of you." The man responded. Everyone gathered then bade the leaving family tearful farewells. Teddy even ran over and hugged one of the smaller children before coming back to Harry with tears in his eyes. After the goodbyes were done everyone headed to their vehicles and prepared to move out. Harry, hand in hand with Teddy, made his way back to the camper with Dale and Glenn in his wake. The four boarded the camper, Dale getting into the driver's seat while Glenn rode in the passenger one. Harry and Teddy headed towards the kitchen sitting area where Draco was currently sitting. The green eyed wizard took a good look at the young Malfoy. He looked haggard, tired and his face was drawn. He looked exhausted, a small pang of empathy hitting Harry at the sight.

"Do you want me to take over Draco? I can watch the two of them while you rest."

"I'm fine Potter." Was his quick reply.

"You don't look fine Draco. In fact, you look like you might fall over any second."

"I said I'm fine Potter!" Draco snapped. Harry just held up his hands.

"Okay okay, I was just trying to help you. Remind me never to do it again."

"Noted." Draco snarked.

The trip fell into silence then; the only sounds were the camper running down the road. Teddy had fallen asleep shortly after they had started moving. Harry was surprised at how much energy the kid had. It made him feel old.

Four hours into the trip the camper stalled out after a loud pop, steam pouring from the front of the vehicle. Alarmed, Harry unbuckled and headed to the front of the camper. Dale maneuvered the crippled camper off to the side of the road, the convoy stopping behind them. The four (awake) adults in the camper had trooped outside. Harry following Dale and Glenn while Draco trailed behind bored. He had no idea what could have happened to the stupid muggle machine. But he was bored watching two unconscious people, no matter how important, so he thought a few minutes of…._something_ else was called for. Besides, they weren't close to waking up, so he felt it was safe to leave them.

Harry reentered the camper after the situation was fully discovered. A hose had blown and couldn't be repaired. Everything was falling apart and the group didn't have the resources to fix the leak, even temporarily. He took a seat next to his curled up godson. Harry ran his hand over his face before looking down at the sleeping Teddy.

_'__Its just one thing after another.' _Harry thought morosely. They were stuck currently, waiting for the repairs to finish using the hose Shane and T-Dog retrieved on their surprisingly quick run. This was certainly not an enviable situation. To make matters worse, the group had come to a decision that didn't sit well with the young wizard.

After Jacque had told them that Jim was really bad off, she went on to say was afraid he wouldn't be able to even make the trip, much less hold out for a cure.

"He's in such terrible pain." She said through her tears. Rick had gone to talk to him then. Harry didn't know exactly what was said, but the expression on Rick's face when he came back from the van was one of anguish.

Jim had elected to stay behind. To die alone in a forest. Harry laid his hand on Teddy's head and petted his hair absent mindedly as he lost himself in thought. He didn't know how he felt about leaving the man behind to die alone. Harry knew how that felt, to die alone. Sure he had the specter of his family members hanging around him, unseen in the Forest of Death, but it wasn't the same. No one in that clearing had cared about Harry's wellbeing. He had been well and truly alone with the most evil man to ever be born. Harry just couldn't feel at ease with letting the poor man die alone.

But what could he do? There really wasn't anything, in truth. He had no pull in the group and no really solid reason to argue for. Every second they spent sitting still was a second they were in danger, a second they could be overrun. Logically, with Jim being a lost cause, the benefits of leaving far outweighed the risk of staying.

_'__What a terrible world this has become._' Harry thought, his godson's soft snores not enough to alleviate the depression Harry felt at the situation. The camper door opened then, admitting a crying Jacquie, looking both lost and hurt.

"Is everyone saying goodbye?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yeah…just about everyone." Jacquie responded, equally as quiet. Neither of them wanted to awake the sleeping child. Harry made a decision then, and he still had time to implement.

"Watch Teddy for a second would you?" He asked as he got up and grabbed one of the pain reliever potions.

"Sure…going to say goodbye?" She asked.

"Yeah."

Harry made is way out of the camper and up the hill passing Draco and Dale on the way. There were a few people left hanging around Jim. Rick and Shane were still present, both looking lost as to what to do.

"Do you want this?" Rick asked as he held out a pistol to Jim.

"No…you guys will need it. I'm fine." Jim said between short pants and gasps.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"It doesn't have to be like this man." Shane piped up in concern.

"Yes it does. Yes it does…" Jim whispered. His mind was made up. Slowing down the group could get them killed. Dying and turning in the van would be as equally as bad. No….this was the best solution. He would be with his family soon. In the meantime, he would get to be in the fresh air.

Rick and Shane moved away then, Glenn following shortly after. Daryl, crossbow in hand, started at the infected man for a long few seconds. Eventually, he headed off to, but not before he gave the man a respectful nod. Jim smiled in return.

Harry was alone with Jim then. Jim just watched the young man stand there. He didn't know why the situation was so awkward, all he was doing was dying.

"I'm sorry I didn't…didn't get to know you Harry." Jim rasped out.

"Same Jim." Harry quickly responded. The wizard crouched down then, coming to eyelevel with the dying man. Pulling the potion out of his pocket, he took the stopper out.

"Drink this Jim, it'll help."

"What…what is it?"

"Something for the pain." Harry responded, bringing the container to Jim's lips. He stared at the green eyed man for a second before parting his lips.

Harry carefully poured the potion in. Jim coughed on the last mouthful but was able to get most of it down.

"That tasted like socks Harry." Jim stated, making Harry smile

"Yeah…it tastes bad but it works, trust me."

"Thank you Harry."

"I was no problem, truly." Harry responded, gently gasping the man on the shoulder before standing up. Jim smiled up at him slightly as he felt the pain ebbing away.

"Goodbye Harry."

"I'll see you around Jim." Harry responded thickly. He turned and left as his memories played up once more. The night Severus died played in his mind over and over again as he walked back to the camper.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Meanwhile, Dale had completed the repairs and closed the camper's hatch.

"This camper is fixed then? Why are we still here?" Draco asked with impatience.

"Because Draco, people are still saying their goodbyes to Jim. It's hard to just drive away like this." Dale responded, his voice soft.

"It shouldn't be taking this long!"

"Don't you have any empathy? Wouldn't you want to say goodbye to your friend if you knew he was going to die?" The older man asked with an incredulous look on his face. He knew the blond boy wasn't as bad as he was trying to make himself out to be. He saw how he interacted with Teddy on a daily basis.

Draco remained silent after Dale's question.

"Are you going to go out and see him?" Dale asked.

"No."

"You should, you will regret not doing so later." He implored.

"Unlikely old man."

"Everyone always does."

"Well I'm not everyone." Draco stated in reply.

"No…but I suspect you'll feel it all the same." Dale responded sadly as he looked into Draco's eyes.

"Whatever." The Malfoy heir said before looking away and ending the conversation. He hated how Dale always made him feel. The man was like a bloody really life conscience or something.

Draco spotted Potter then as he walked back down the hill.

"Were ready to go." Draco said as Harry got closer. Harry nodded in response before heading back inside the camper. Dale, Glenn, and Draco following soon after.

The convoy started rolling again. Jacquie had stayed with them in the camper, taking up post next to Teddy while gently rubbing his back. Everyone was silent, even Dale. Leaving Jim behind had affected them all, and not in a good way either. Harry had sat down and just…zoned out, his memories of the loses he suffered running around in his mind. Draco returned to his post inside the camper's bedroom, watching the two unconscious witches.

Almost an hour later, Harry was startled out of his memories by Draco's frantic calls.

"Andromeda? Andromeda? Can you hear me?" Harry stood up and moved to the back quickly. Draco was hunched over Andromeda shaking her shoulder gently.

"What happened Draco?"

"She moved." He responded distractedly. Harry felt his heart start beating faster. She had moved?

"Andromeda! Wake up! Come on, get up!" Draco called loudly into her face. Harry was about to admonish him for his actions when he heard the older woman moan.

"Andromeda! Can you hear me?" Draco tried again. Andromeda mumbled something unintelligible in response.

"Open your eyes Andromeda. Come on, you can do it." Draco coached. Slowly, almost painfully, Andromeda opened her eyes enough to squint.

"Dra…Drake?" she asked with a raspy, unused voice.

"Yes! It's Draco. Tell me how you feel." Draco exclaimed. Harry started ginning widely while Jacquie looked on with amazement. Andromeda was awake!

"Head hurts….throat's all…scratchy." She forced out.

"Potter! Get her some water!" Harry immediate went to the kitchen to get the liquid.

"Po…potter?" Andromeda asked confused.

"Shhh don't worry about that. "

"Wats going on Hawwee?" Teddy asked sleepily. He was having the bestest dream about floating waffles and a garden gnome. He was _not_ happy D'agoon had woken him up!

"Teddy I have great news!" Harry said as he poured water into a glass.

"Wat?"

"Your granma is awake."

"She is!? Can I see her?" Teddy practically yelled.

"Not right now, she is very weak. Soon though. Now, I have to get back there. Stay in that seat mister!" Harry ordered before walking back into the bedroom.

"Here." He said, gaining Draco's attention. The blond quickly took the offered glass and held it gently to Andromeda's lips.

"There we go, easy now just take a sip." Draco ordered as he helped tilt her head forward. Andromeda got more water on her face and clothes than in her mouth, but it was enough. The pain of her raw throat abated slightly and she promptly fell back asleep.

"Andromeda, wake up…come on wak…" Draco tried to convince her again until Harry stepped in.

"Easy Draco. She was awake once, but she still needs rest. Let her sleep, it helps the body heal."

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard Potter! Sleep heals?" Draco scoffed.

"It's true. Just let her be. We will both keep an eye on them." Harry responded before taking up position on Hermione's side. Draco scowled but said nothing else.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

The convoy's journey ended abruptly nearly two hours later. Neither witch had reawaken but, after a subtly cast diagnostic charm while Harry distracted the muggles, both wizards were happy the two were improving. Heart rate and respiration were moving back to normal levels and the damage to their organs was nearly repaired. The immediate problem now was moving them. As they were still unconscious and weak, someone would have to carry the two women to the CDC's entrance.

T-Dog was requisitioned to aid them. Draco and T-Dog held Andromeda on a seat they made with their hands while Harry carried Hermione bridal style. Jacquie had picked Teddy up and had her gun out and ready.

The CDC was a massive building. The equally as large courtyard at its front, along with the crossing streets was littered with dead bodies, equipment, tanks, heavy munitions, and barricades. The smell was almost unbearable. Harry could tell a last stand when he saw one. His stomach churned with fear.

_'__How could anyone have survived this?' _

The group moved as one across the expansive battlefield towards what appeared to be the entrance. Harry nearly panicked when he saw security shutter of some sort was covering the entrance completely. Rick and Shane hurried to the front and tried to lift it. They failed miserably. Glenn then joined the two and they tried once again, only to fail.

"There's no one here." T-Dog panted out. He was completely out of shape and, while not heavy, carrying Andromeda around was getting tiring.

"Then why are these shutters down?"

"Walkers!" Daryl called out, he raised crossbow up and aimed, firing a single bolt into a walker's head. Harry turned to see where he had spotted them only to feel fear grip his being. Dozens of walkers were heading their direction, far too many to fight.

"This was a bad move!" Daryl yelled.

"He made a call!" Shane yelled back as he assessed the situation.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yelled in return, making his way towards Rick. Shane ran over quickly and pushed the Southerner back.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Shane ordered before turning to look at his partner.

"Rick, this is a dead end. No blame Rick, no blame! But we have got to GO!" Shane yelled before firing on the closest walker. Everyone with guns opened up then, trying to thin the heard.

"We can't stay this close to the city!" Lori yelled as she held onto a crying Carl.

"We'll think of something!" Rick responded in desperation. Everything was spiraling out of his hands! Had he really lead his family to their death!?

"Fort Benning is still an option." Shane called out

"On what? Fumes and no food? We can't get there." Andrea replied.

"We have to get out of here you stupid muggles!" Draco yelled in a panic. There were hundreds of dead things coming to eat them and they stood around arguing? Harry glanced sharply over at him.

"We have got to go! Now!" Shane yelled out before taking out another walker. Rick stumbled backwards after them. He couldn't keep his eyes off the door. He had been so sure!

Harry started following the group. He turned back for a moment and stared at the closed off building before looking down at his friend in his arms. This was supposed to be a sanctuary. Rick had made this seem like a safe bet….now he was standing out in the open, cut off from the camper with his last remaining friend in his arms unconscious. Harry looked back up at the door that was supposed to be their safe harbor with a sneer.

His face quickly contorted to shock a moment later.

Wait…did that camera just move?

"The camera! It moved!" Rick called out, halting the group's frantic escape.

"You imagined it…" Dale said in disbelief.

"No…no…it moved." Rick replied, heading back toward the door. He started pounding on the shutter while looking into the camera.

"I know you're in there!" He yelled.

"Come on Rick! There's nobody here!" Lori yelled from behind.

"I know you can hear me!" Rick continued.

"Please! We're desperate! We have women and children! We don't have any food left, hardly any gas left and nowhere else to go!" Rick continued his rant.

"We have to go Rick!" Shane yelled again, grabbing Rick and pulling him to the group. Rick fought back, screaming like a mad man at the camera

"You're killing us! You're killing us!" He yelled over and over. Everyone else was yelling too. The cacophony of sound made it hard to tell what everyone was saying, but one thing was clear.

Everyone thought they were going to die. All the children, including Teddy were crying.

"Do something Potter!" Draco yelled. Harry knew instantly what he was asking. Out of the two of them, he had to have been the one who had the easiest chance of accessing his wand. He didn't know what he could do though. Would an alohomora work on a security shutter? Harry had begun shifting Hermione in his arms so he could put her down and get to his wand when it happened.

The grinding sound caused the entire group to stop yelling. As one, they all turned to the brightly lit, now completely open doorway. Harry spent all of one second in shock before reacting.

"Come on! " He bellowed at Jacquie and Teddy. Everyone reacted then and they all raced into the lighted building.

Posted 12/2/2014

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**A/N**

**Teddy is here! Draco is alive! Hermione and Andromeda!? Are they on the mend? What will happen next? Will they be allowed entrance?**

**But holy crap! 17k words or more! My biggest chapter yet! Sorry for not getting it out on Monday. I had a lot of things I had to do the past week so my writing time took a hit. Thanksgiving and all that. But we didn't have to spend it in the hospital this year so yeah! Something important to be thankful for!**

**I hope everyone's Thanksgiving (Americans) was good and they all had a lot of tasty things to eat.**

**The Walking Dead episode that corresponds with this chapter is Wildfire. I had a lot of trouble writing it and I have no idea why. A beta said to me that, while this chapter was a little slower than the rest that it was still good and didn't bog down anywhere. I think that maybe the issue I was having was I tried to explain too much, maybe go into too much detail. It felt like I was on one scene or another for an inordinate amount of time. **

**I do hope everyone likes this chapter and its emotions. Harry was so happy he found Teddy, and he had been right in front of him too! Crazy. **

**As always, questions, concerns, or comments are more than welcome. Questions are easier to answer in PMs but you can leave them in your reviews as well!**

**And don't forget, I am on Kik messenger so you can ask me questions there too!. I go under the handle artariouss and yes, there are two Ss.**

**Anyway, tell me what you all think! And if you have any complaints….address them to the singer of Call Me Maybe. I had it blaring on loop for most of this chapter….I am not sure if I have to give my man card up to be burned now or not….**

**Also, I would like to give another shout out to the ever wonderful rocknrollprincess131 and girl-at-home13 ! Thanks you guys for your help on this chapter. I appreciate it.**

**And thanks also to chocolatecheesecakes for continuing to make sure Harry doesn't turn into a boorish American :P**

**Shout out also to AnarchicMuse! **

**Shout out to reviewers: Thanks a bunch guys!**

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	7. It's All in the Blood

I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters… Or any of the Walking Dead characters either… If I had, Carl would not have been shot and Lucius would have had a much bigger role in things, just saying. Shane would still be dead though… Yeah…As a doornail

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

_Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:_

_"__Do something Potter!" Draco yelled. Harry knew instantly what he was asking. Out of the two of them, he had to have been the one who had the easiest chance of accessing his wand. He didn't know what he could do though. Would an alohomora work on a security shutter? Harry had begun shifting Hermione in his arms so he could put her down and get to his wand when it happened. _

_The grinding sound caused the entire group to stop yelling. As one, they all turned to the brightly lit, now completely open doorway. Harry spent all of one second in shock before reacting. _

_"__Come on! " He bellowed at Jacquie and Teddy. Everyone reacted then and they all raced into the lighted building._

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry was the first one over the building's threshold and into sanctuary. The rest of the group was right behind him and soon enough, everyone was inside looking around. The large entrance area was wide and very open, with its high ceilings and giant mural. The relief Harry had felt, the whole group had felt, when the shutter slid open and they were allowed entrances waned a little. There was a glaring issue and Harry didn't know what it meant.….

There was no one around. There wasn't even a greeting party or a security check. Harry repositioned Hermione in his arms a little out of anxiousness. Shouldn't there have been more people for the 'most heavily defended facility' still standing?

"This Is all certainly underwhelming…" Draco commented over his huffing. Draco knew he wasn't really 'physically' fit…but Merlin did it feel like a lot of work to carry Andromeda around! He resolved to tell her to eat less when she woke up.

Rick agreed with Draco. This was certainly not what he thought they we going to see.

After a few seconds of milling about and looking around the group was startled by a failure noise. Turning as one, they all looked towards the sound of a rifle being cocked. Glenn, Shane, and Rick all raised their weapons and pointed them at the solitary man that stepped out of the shadows with a rifle. The group and the unknown man just started at one another for a few heartbeats before a conversation start.

"Is anyone infected?" The man yelled, his rifle still aimed at the group. Everyone held their breath as they waited for Rick to respond.

"One of our group was….He didn't make it." Rick replied in an emotion laced voice.

"What about those two?" The man gestured at the two unconscious women.

"They aren't bit. They got sick from something else." Harry replied quickly. He really didn't want Hermione and Andromeda to be the reason they were all turned away.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" The man asked in reply. That was certainly a valid question and Harry started to sweat because of it. How could they prove it? This _was_ the CDC after all….maybe they had a way.

"They've been sick for mother than a month. But you can determine it anyway you want." Shane replied. The man stayed silent for a moment before continuing.

"Why are you all here? What do you want?" He asked. The group began lowering their weapons when Rick pointed his down.

"A chance." Rick responded. His family was in danger! The desperation he felt leaked into his voice, he was sure of it.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." The man replied solemnly

"I, I know." Was the only reply Rick could come up with. The rest of the group looked on. Hope warred with reality and fear. Would they be allowed to stay? If they were turned away, what would they do? Could they force the issue and threaten the man into letting them stay?

Draco had never missed magic more than in that one instant. This one muggle was holding his life and the life of his fam…the other magicals in his hand. A muggle of all things! How Draco longed to just whip out his wand and cast the Imperius curse. But he couldn't! Not with all these muggles around and _especially_ not with how defenseless the two witches were. Yes…Draco did not like the situation_ at all_.

Harry, meanwhile, was racking his brain for anything to say that might help convince the man to let them stay. In truth, Harry had never once missed his fame as much as he did now. He had spent most of his life hating his fame and all the 'benefits' that came with it. All he wanted to be was 'just Harry'. Now though, he would trade every galleon he had in his vaults for this man to know Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"Please," Harry spoke up, "We're desperate. We have nowhere else to go. At least take the children!" Harry pleaded. It didn't look like the man was going to let them in, but he might take the children. Harry could live with knowing Teddy was safe behind a fortress of high-tech security doors. He would be safe and out of this nightmare.

Harry watched the man look around at each member of the group, his eyes lingering on the women and children. He seemed to be conflicted for a second, making Harry begin to hope again.

"You all submit to blood tests. That's the price of admission."

"We can do that." Rick responds quickly.

"And those two go into quarantine until I am sure. " The man continues, gesturing with his rifle at Hermione and Andromeda. Rick looked in Harry's direction at the statement. He didn't like that they were being singled out but he could understand the man's hesitancy. Multiple arguments to convince Harry to go along with the demand began running around in his mind.

"They don't need to be…" Draco yelled before he was cut off.

"We accept." Harry responded, shutting off Draco's rant.

"You _can't_ be serious!" Draco disagreed vehemently. Harry turned his head toward him as much as possible.

"Shut up Draco! It's the only way!", he said before turning back to look at the man. "We accept, you can put them in quarantine. "

The man nodded his acceptance. He lowered his rifle and advanced on the group.

"If you have anything else, get it now. Once those doors close they won't open again."

Glenn and Shane quickly ran back out the door to grab the packs they had left behind before returning inside just as quickly. As the doors shut once more, the man walked over to a key panel on the wall and slid a card down the card slot.

"VI, seal the main door." He talked to the panel. Immediately the security shudder started to descend. Once it slammed shut, Rick approached the man.

"Rick Grimes."

"Dr. Edwin Jenner."

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry and the rest had followed Dr. Jenner to a large service elevator. When the doors opened and everyone piled in the situation just became surreal. While Harry hadn't been without electricity for that long, having been unconscious for most of eight months, the others had been without it for far longer. Everyone stood in a mild shock as they descended into the heart of the building, listening to a catchy show tune.

"I ain't never seen a doctor packing heat like you." Daryl said over the elevator music. It was a valid statement, Harry had never seen a doctor running around with a machinegun either.

"There were plenty of them laying around. I familiarized myself with their operation." Dr. Jenner responded. The statement was deceptively simple, however. The doctor made it sound like they were just strewn from one end of the place to the other. And, as even Harry knew, guns and ammunition were precious resources in this new world. The fact that so many were laying on the ground outside, then having the doctor confirm there was an abundance of them just sitting there made the group members apprehensive about the chances of safety.

Perhaps the doctor priced up on the sudden change in mood in the cramped elevator because he then tried to break the tension.

"But you all look harmless enough." He said, smiling at everyone before turning to Carl. He frowned playfully then.

"Except you….I'll have to keep my eye on you.." Carl looked indignant for a second before a small smile played onto his lips. He looked at his mom then who smiled back down at him in response.

The elevator stopped soon after and the doctor exited, the group following closely behind. They then walked down a well-lit hallway in silence.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked, her hand holding Sophia's in a death grip.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Dr. Jenner asked without turning around or slowing down.

"A little…"

"Well, just don't think about it." He replied making Harry snort. The old skit of a terrible doctor and his patient making its way to the front of Harry's brain. The patient had been complaining about his arm hurting when he moved it, only for the doctor to respond "Then don't move it…." as his 'medical' opinion.

The hallway ended as the entrance to a large, dark room. There was a clock counting down on the far wall as well. Draco was starting to get really tired from holding Andromeda up this long. He knew his helper T-dog (he gave a mental shudder at the name) was fairing no better. He hoped there would be a chair or bed for him to place her on soon.

"Vi. Bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner called out. The lights started to turn on, bathing the massive room in light. Everyone took in the large space silently.

"Welcome to Zone 5." Jenner said as he continued to walk to the center of the 'big room'. Rick followed and the group followed Rick.

"Where is everybody? The Doctors? The Staff?" Dr. Jenner turned slowly and looked Rick right in the eye.

"I'm it." He said with finality, "it's just me here.".

"What about that other person you were talking to?" Lori piped up immediately, "Vi was it?"

Jenner just smirked at her in a humorless manner. If only VI were a real person.

"VI." Jenner called out to the room, "Say hello to our guests…tell them 'Welcome'."

"Hello guests. Welcome." A robotic voice echoed around the room. Harry was instantly disappointed. VI wasn't a real person, it was a machine, the CDC's computers.

"I'm all that's left."

"We _just_ heard that woman talk. Why lie about that?" Draco demanded with irritation. The woman and literally just spoken to them all. What the hell was this guy's problem? Dr. Jenner, along with the rest of the group, looked at Draco strangely.

"That wasn't a real person idiot." Shane responded.

"She just talked! Why don't you come out from wherever you are VI." Draco replied in indignation.

"Draco, she isn't real. It's a machine." Harry said loudly, capturing everyone else's attention. Harry cursed in his mind.

_'__Of course Draco doesn't understand what a computer is.'_

"Just trust me Draco." Harry said, interrupting Draco right as he opened his mouth. _' Honestly, how did he survive and not expose himself as a wizard this long? '_ Harry questioned in his mind. In that same instant, he felt like kicking himself. The answer was laying unconscious in his arms. Jenner just kept staring at Draco for a few more moments before looking back over the group.

"I'm sorry." He said. Everyone stood for a moment, digesting what he had said. Draco, on the other hand, was cursing all muggles in the safety of his own mind.

Soon after, Dr. Jenner beckoned for the group to follow him before he headed off through the big room and down another hallway. The group traveled behind him, slowly coming to terms with the fact that no one else was here. The short trip down the new hallway ended in a laboratory with several chairs and a quarantine tent.

"Take the two unconscious ones into the tent. You three will also have to stay after being in physical contact with them." Jenner stated as he pointed at the plastic medical tent.

"Okay. Come on Draco." Harry said as soon as the doctor finished talking. He didn't need to see Draco's face or read his mind to know about the refusal that was forming on the blonde's lips. Harry made his way into the tent. There were three medical beds as well as several chairs. He went over to the second closest bed and gently lowered Hermione onto it. She looked so frail to him, so vulnerable. He felt his heart clench with emotion. He never wanted to see her like this.

Draco and T-Dog entered soon after and headed towards the closest of the beds. Harry went over and helped them lower Andromeda. He looked up at the sound of a zipper being zipped to see the doctor sealing them in. Harry thought it was kind of a dumb thing to do. They had just walked through the entire facility, had spent a significant time in close proximity in the elevator. Even if they were sick, everyone would be now as well.

"He's locking us in here?" Draco asked in concern.

"It's okay Draco, you _need_ to listen to me." Harry said, stressing his words. He didn't know how he would handle the others knowing about asking too many questions, not while Hermione and Andromeda were as defenseless as they were.

"Uncie Hawwee? Why are you in there?" Teddy asked from Jacquie's lap. He really didn't like that his Hawwee wasn't with him.

"I'ts okay Teddy, I won't be in here long. Do what Jacquie tells you ok?" Harry responded. Teddy wasn't very convinced.

"Okaaaayyy….." The two year old replied.

The blood draw went rather fast. Dr. Jenner seemed to be able to get the blood he needed with extreme efficiency. The only two issues he had were with Teddy and Andrea. Harry tried to consul the distraught two year old when the doctor approached him with the needle. Teddy was having none of it though, going so far as to jump off Jacquie's lap and run to the plastic medical tent. He proceeded to pound his little fists on the plastic keeping him from his Hawwee.

Harry, for his part, almost had a panic attack when he saw Teddy's eyes turn bright yellow from his fear. He had virtually forgotten the control issues Teddy had with his gifts.

"Teddy, calm down now!" Harry said rather loudly, shocking the little boy into stopping his actions. Harry had hardly ever had to raise his voice with the child, but now was definitely one of them. He held a hand up to stop the doctor and Jacquie's approach. Teddy needed to be calmed down and his eye color changed back before he could let anyone see them. A quick glance behind him showed Harry that Draco had moved to block T-Dog's view of the child. Harry felt an immense amount of gratitude towards the blond….not that he would ever tell him.

"It's ok to be scared Teddy, but you are not allowed to act like this. Do you understand? What you are doing is naughty Teddy." Harry said with a firm tone. Teddy gasped in response.

"'m not naughty!" He cried.

"No, you're not. You are a good boy but you are not acting like it right now." Harry said in disappointment, keeping his tone firm even though the look on Teddy's face was breaking his heart.

"I'm soyee! I'm soyee." He replied. He hadn't wanted to make Hawwee mad! He was a good boy! But the needle man…it made ouchies and he didn't want that!

Harry knelt down to the boy's level on the other side of the plastic divide, relief running through his body when he saw the child's eyes reverting.

"It's ok Teddy, I forgive you. Will you be a good boy now and let the doctor take your blood?" Harry asked in a much softer tone.

"Bu…but will it hurt?" Teddy asked fearfully. His eye color had almost completely reverted now.

"Yes, a little. But if you are good I'll give you a sweet, okay?" Harry tempted. Never let it be said the last Potter was above a bit of bribing.

"I get a sweet?"

"Only if you're good. Will you be good?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then." Harry motioned for Jacquie and the doctor to head over. Jenner waited for Jacquie to grab the boy and sit him in her lap at the table.

"It won't hurt hardly at all, Teddy was it? Just a little pinch." He said, trying to keep the child calm. Teddy just watched him distrustfully. Eventually, the doctor was able to get the blood he needed, Teddy being fascinated by the red stuff flowing quickly into the tube on his arm.

"Do I get it back?" Teddy asked suddenly, startling Jacquie and catching Dr. Jenner off guard.

"Uhhh no, I keep it Teddy."

"What?! I don't get it back?" Teddy gasped in astonishment. He wasn't going to get it back?

"Uncie Hawwee! He won't give my bood back!" Teddy yelled in indignation. Harry couldn't help the smile that came to his lips. While interaction with muggles was harrowing, dangerous, and potentially deadly, Teddy made it somewhat amusing.

"No, no Teddy you don't get it back." Harry replied, placating the two year old as much as possible. Teddy stared at the doctor for a second before dismissing the whole ordeal. He was good so he gets a sweet!

"Later Teddy." Harry replied to the question about the sweet. He could hear Draco sigh in exasperation behind him. T-dog remained at peace with the whole ordeal.

That issue resolved, Dr. Jenner moved on to his last patient not in quarantine, Andrea.

"Why are we doing this? If we were infected we would be running a fever." She asked belligerently as her blood was taken.

"I already broke all the rules in the book just letting you all in here. Let me have this little piece of mind." The doctor replied as he removed the vial from her arm. Andrea stood up and made her way back to the chairs only to stumble half way there. Jacquie was at her side in an instant to help her sit down.

"She hasn't eaten in days." She informed Dr. Jenner. He looked shocked for a moment, glancing around at all the people in the room.

"I still need to get the samples from the other five. I may not have much here but food, that I do have ." Jenner said as he busied himself placing the vials gently into his carrier.

"You have food?"

"Go to the kitchens, take a left down this hall and go five doors down then turn right. It's at the end of that hallway. Get something prepared for everyone. I'll be back momentarily to get the rest of the samples." He stated as he got up and walked to the exit. Pausing, he looked back over the group.

"If anyone wants to wash up, there are showers. Power is at a premium though so go easy on the hot water." He said before leaving the room. Rick looked at Lori, Shane stared at where the doctor ha last stood while Dale had his mouth hanging open.

"Did he say hot water?" Carol asked tentatively.

"That's what the man said." Replied T-dog excitedly before he frowned sadly. He was still in the plastic cage!

"What are we waiting for!" Carl yelled before grabbing his mother's hand and trying to drag her out the door. Everyone laughed and made for the exit. Teddy and Jacquie hesitated on their way out. Teddy didn't _want_ to leave Hawwee…. But showers! They were fun! And he really did miss them. Harry nodded at Jacquie with a smile, giving her permission to take Teddy.

"Bye Hawwee! I'ma be sqke…suqki…squuueee clean!" Teddy yelled happily, butchering the word to an amazing degree.. Jacquie smiled at Harry before shooing the happy two year old out the door. All too soon it was only T-Dog, Draco, and Harry alone with the two witches.

"Why did you let him put us in here Potter? They aren't sick!"

"I know that Malfoy. But the choice was either do what he said or get turned away."

"We could have forced the issue. Where is your Gryffindor brazenness?" Draco asked. The sneer on his face was all too familiar.

"I'm not like _that_ Draco. You might _still_ be, but that's your own problem." Harry bit out, no longer willing to entertain the Malfoy heir's ridiculous attitude.

"And what about that other woman? The one that talked in the room. Where is she?" Draco asked, causing Harry to sigh again.

"That wasn't a woman Draco. For the last time, it was a machine, a computer!" Harry replied in irritation. He privately ranted in his head about dumb purebloods not knowing about muggle technology.

"You expect me to believe _muggles_ can make one of those giant machines with all the gears and whatever _talk_? Do you take me for a fool Potter?"

"I am starting too, yes. That _was_ a machine Draco. You need to believe me."

"Like that will happen." Draco scoffed. The two wizards had been so caught up in their argument that they had virtually forgotten about their other conscious roommate.

"How can't he know about computers?" T-Dog asked. He had no idea how that was possible. Unless Draco was from a…a tribe from the rainforest or something he should know what a computer is.

Harry froze for a second at the question. _'Damn!'_ He though. _'How could I have just forgotten a whole man's _presence_!' _Unfortunately, that second pause gave enough time for Draco to dig his hole just a little deeper.

"Why should I know? Clearly it isn't widely known."

"Uhh…it is. Everyone knows what a computer is."

"Obviously not." Draco replied smugly. Harry would have normally had a great time pointing out that Draco had just insulted himself. But now was not a normal time.

"He's Amish!" Harry practically yelled when the thought came to him. The two other males just looked at him. One with confusion and one with a sense of understanding. Draco's expression started to morph more to anger as the seconds ticked on.

"Ahh, Amish huh? I never knew you were that Draco. I guess that explains it…."T-dog said slowly.

"Yeah, he's from a super fundamental sect of…uh…Amish. Doesn't know hardly anything about modern society."

"What the hell is Am…" Draco started to ask, infuriated at the perceived insult. Harry grabbed his arm then and pulled him to the other end of the containment tent.

"Just a second T-Dog." Harry said apologetically before turning back to Draco with a murderous glare.

"Listen to me Malfoy, I am only going to say this once. Shut your damn mouth! _Everyone_ knows what a computer is. That's a fact. So, how do you think it looks when you say you _don't know_?" Harry hissed out his rhetorical question. Draco's eyes had widened slightly at the anger in his voice.

_'__Good, maybe he's scared.'_ Harry thought vindictively.

"Hermione and Andromeda are _unconscious _Draco! Vulnerable! You making stupid comments like that makes people suspicious. _How_ you survived this long and keeping magic a secret, I will never know. Hermione must have been looking out for you. We _need_ these people for now, so do us _all_ a favor and listen to me when I tell you to _shut your damned mouth_!" Harry raged.

Draco knew his eyes had gotten wider and wider the longer Harry ranted. It wasn't so much that he was scared….he was just….err…scared. But he would never admit that out loud! He had a mind to lay into the git when he pulled them away but quickly thought better of it when he saw the last Potter's eyes. They looked almost as if they were glowing, like there was a light behind them shining through. The fact that the Harry's eyes, and the glow coming from them was Avada green didn't make the Malfoy very comfortable. The only other time he had seen Harry this angry was right before he, his father, and his mother had gone to trial.

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FLASHBACK: Post Battle of Hogwarts.

The Malfoy Family Trial, as the newspapers had dubbed it, was taking place in courtroom ten. Draco was worried but also slightly happy. The Aurors had placed the three Malfoys in different cells, allowing no contact between the three of them. They had stayed like that for two months, only being fed twice a day and only getting a newspaper once a month. The family still hadn't been allowed to touch one another, but they had finally been allowed to converse as they sat shackled, waiting for the trial to start. It was unorthodox to have three members of a family all on trial at the same time. The public, however, had refused to allow them a chance to get away like Lucius did in the previous war.

Things were not looking good for the Malfoy family.

All three Malfoys snapped their heads up when they heard a door shut heavily close by.

"Maybe they finally are ready to get started." Draco said out loud. Neither of his parents responded. He could understand that, they were all afraid after all. There was a very real possibility they would all be dead and soulless by the end of the day.

The Auror standing guard over the three jumped slightly when there was a knock at the door leading to the courtroom. He quickly opened it, glad his assignment was almost over. The person on the other side, however, was not who any of the four expected.

Harry Potter had come to see the Malfoy family.

Draco wanted to sneer, had wanted to throw a verbal barb at the last Potter but he couldn't muster up the strength. In the end, Harry had won. The Light had won. Their side had lost. It galled him but he could understand the want, the need to brag over your fallen enemy. He was a Slytherin after all.

"Hello Thomas." Harry greeted the Auror.

"He…Hello Mr. Potter." Thomas suttered in reply, causing Harry to let out an exasperated sigh.

"I told you, you don't have to be nervous around me." Harry said patiently.

"I know…its just, you are an icon! The biggest celebrity since Gilderoy Lockhart! " Thomas replied. The Malfoys knew awe when they heard it. They had, after all, had people talking to them like that for many years.

"Don't remind me. Anyway, Thomas I need you to do me a favor." Harry said, his tone becoming more business like.

"Anything Mr. Potter."

"You can call me Harry, Thomas. What I need you to do is go and stand outside this door for a few minutes." Harry calmly stated. The Malfoys were instantly intrigued. What did the Golden Gryffindor have planned?

Thomas, on the other hand, was sweating bullets. He wanted to do what Harry had asked, he owed him so much for stopping the war. His family was still alive because of Harry. But...he had orders, a job to do.

" ….Harry. I don't think I can do that…it's against procedure."

"I get that Thomas, I do. That's why this is a favor. I won't take too long and no one will know about it, I promise. " Harry said in placating tone. Thomas was slightly convinced….and who wouldn't want the Boy-Who-Lived to owe them a favor?

"You're not going…_do_ anything to them are you?" Thomas asked nervously. He didn't want to offend Harry, not at all! He had more claim to the Malfoys than most everyone else and if he did do something to them, well they easily deserved it and more.

"No Thomas, not at all. I am just going to talk." Harry replied with a smile. The Boy-Who-Lived-Twice knew he had the man's compliance when he smiled.

"Alright Harry…but don't take too long!" Thomas said before taking one last glance at the Malfoys. Decision made, he opened the door and walked out.

Harry Potter, twice defeater of Voldemort, was standing alone in front of the three shackled and powerless Malfoys.

None of the family members were happy. They had listened to Harry convince the Auror to allow his request in a way they had never seen the boy accomplish before. That alone made them wary. Add in the boy before them dueled with Voldemort and _won. _The boy had even survived the killing curse…twice! The only consolation they had was that the boy didn't have his wand out already.

"You have all wronged me." Harry stated, his tone flat and his face expressionless. He looked at Lucius.

"Your actions in part, Lucius Malfoy, took my parents from me. I grew up without them. I grew up without a loving family. I was treated worse than a house elf and have the scars to prove it."

"Now wait a second Pott.." Draco started to defend his father. The man hadn't done anything to Potter's family that night! He wasn't even there. He was silenced by his mother in short order.

"Be silent Draco!" She whispered. Normally, he would not have accepted such an order. He hadn't, however, ever heard his mother sound as scared as she did right now. It was enough to silence his tongue. Harry, meanwhile, continued on.

"You fought for Voldemort, named originally Tom Riddle, not once, but twice against the citizenry and good people of Magical Britain willingly, on both occasions. Do you deny this?" Harry asked with his same flat tone.

"No Mr. Potter, I do not." Lucius said with as much dignity as he could. Harry simply gazed at the man in response.

"Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. You stood by, during both wars, and accepted your husband's actions. Through various actions of your own, you supported Voldemort in his aims and used your influence to actively subvert all who opposed him. Do you deny this?"

Draco couldn't let his mother be talked to like that! He wouldn't stand for it! This time Lucius stopped him before he even got started.

"Say nothing son. You need to say nothing." Lucius said, the bitter tone of defeat clear in his voice.

"I do not deny any of it." Narcissa replied quietly. Having their failures and sins thrown back at them here, now, before they were to go on trial just hammered home the consequences they were all feeling from their actions. The tears she held back started to run down her eyes.

Harry spent a few moments staring at the slowly crumbling woman before turning to look at the youngest Malfoy. In all his time on the opposite side of Harry's stare, Draco had never seen the Gryffindor's face so blank.

"Draco Malfoy. You have harassed and bullied me and my friends since the day we met. You took this a step further each year with attacks and slander. In the end, you joined the war, willingly, and fought for Voldemort against all that opposed him. Do you deny this?" Harry asked after listing the litany of grievances he had with Draco.

"I….Potter you have to understand…_no one_ denied him." Draco replied. He was disgusted with the note of pleading in his voice…but it was true damn it!

"I did. My family did. Sirius did. Remus…Tonks. People resisted. People fought against him. And _we won_." Harry rejoined with vehemence. He glared at Draco for a moment before taking a deep breath and blanking his face once more.

"I was held captive and tortured in your estate, in your _home_. My friends were held captive and tortured. You opened your home to Voldemort and converted it into a war headquarters. " The last Potter stated in that same, mildly fear inducing flat tone. And it was a statement, there was no rebuttal possible.

"I've been reading up on the laws, on the traditions, and on the procedures and practices of the Houses. I know you all know these like the back of your hand, so you will understand what I am about to say." Harry said before his began looking from face to face.

"You, the family of the Noble House of Malfoy have wronged me, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. You have taken up arms against my Houses, you have attempted, both personally and through others, to _end_ the Potter line. Your life is in my hands."

"You said, the three of you, that you regret your actions. When asked, you allowed yourselves to be dosed with Veritaserum and were asked a series of questions. The result of the questioning convinced the three impartial and one wounded party of the truthfulness in your regret. You, Narcissa, were asked an additional question. In the forest, were you on Voldemort's side or were you not. Your answer is why I am here today."

"I was given the choice, under Ministry law or the laws of the Ancient and Noble Houses on whether to send you to trial or use any of the multiple Life and Blood offences you three have committed against me. I can see by your eyes Narcissa, that you understand full extent of what that means."

Draco looked over towards Narcissa only to see her pale as a sheet, tears openly streaming down her face.

"Mother..Mother! What is he talking about?" Draco asked, supremely uncomfortable seeing his mother as afraid as she was. Draco nearly started crying himself when his mother looked him with terrified eyes.

"Draco…my darling Draco. I am a daughter of the Black family….you, being my son, are a branch member of the Black family as well as a Malfoy. The…rules and consequences for Ancient and Noble houses are different and can, in certain instances, supersede our House's rules."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked. Narcissa didn't respond, looking to Harry first. The last Potter nodded for her to continue.

"Blood offences….going against your blood….are very serious offences. The Head of House of the aggrieved can….call to the magic in the blood of the transgressor. If they truly went against their own family, their own Blood, then their magic would be ripped from them. It would turn them…us into squibs at best, kill us at worst."

"Wha…that can't be true!" Draco cried in disbelief.

"No…it's true. Your Grandmother tried it against Sirius. It galled her to no end when it had no effect on him. "

Draco remained unconvinced. Surly no Ancient and Noble House would ever have such a magic! He turned to look at his father, only to see him pale and terrified as well.

"Please Potter, Heir Potter. Spare them. They only did what I told them to. As Head of House I take responsibility." Lucius begged, all sense of pride vanishing at the thought of what could happen.

Harry looked at Lucius then. Gone was the man who taunted him in the Department of Mysteries. Gone was the aloof aristocrat who was tricked by a twelve-year old. Now, there was only the broken man who was fearful for the lives of his family. The _only_ good aspect of Lucius Malfoy.

"I want you to understand this Lucius. Your actions, your idiocy could have ended the Malfoy line for good. Out there," Harry pointed behind him to the trial room," there are only people who want you to pay for all the crimes you have committed. There is no possibility you would not receive the Kiss. No chance of that not happening. Your wife, who stood by you the whole way, would also suffer for your mistakes and actions. And your son? He accepted the task of killing Dumbledore. What do you think the penalty for _that_ would be?"

Harry paused then allowing Lucius to understand the full consequences of his actions.

"I want you three to understand something. The only, and I mean this in the most sincere way possible, the _only_ reason I didn't see you three dead is because of Narcissa's actions in the Forest of Death."

He let that sink in as he looked each member of the Malfoy family in the eye.

"The only thing that has kept _you_ alive specifically, Lucius, is that I don't want to deprive Draco of a father. Think about that. You are going to walk through that door still breathing because _I _didn't want to take a parent from a child. Did you ever consider that when you killed? Narcissa's actions are what have saved the Malfoy family from being executed at the end of this day. The only _smart_ Malfoy in this room was born a Black. Think about that." Harry concluded. He spent a few seconds looking from Malfoy to Malfoy before focusing on Draco.

"Draco, I want you to understand completely what I am about to say to you. Your parents made mistakes and did wrong. You, however, have a much cleaner slate. I don't care about our rivalry in school, this is the real world now and everything you do from this point on is up to you."

"But I warn you now, Heir Malfoy, if you fall again, if you take the side of the Dark once more, if you follow in your parent's footsteps, if you hurt or attack me or mine again, you and your family will not have to worry about the Dementors or the Kiss because I will kill you all myself. Do you understand me?" Harry delivered his ultimatum in the same flat tone he had used the entire time. This time, however, the last Potter's eyes glowed with power. The three chained magicals were reminded then that the boy, man in front of them had defeated their leader, the greatest Dark Lord of all time. Had fought a duel with Voldemort, on multiple occasions, only to survive and, in the end, be the last one alive.

All Draco could do was nod.

FLASHBACK: End

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That was the last time Draco had talked to Harry up until the day he showed up at the Quarry camp. The trial ended with the Malfoys being pardoned because of Narcissa's actions. Many felt that one good action did not change a lifetime of wrong ones. That is, until Harry stood up and addressed the Wizengamot calling for their pardon.

"_I defeated Voldemort because I was alive. I would not have lived if Narcissa Malfoy nee Black had not lied directly to Voldemort. "_

After that the vote came in quickly. It was nearly unanimous. The Wizengamot was careful to mention that they had voted in favor of _Harry's _argument, _not_ the Malfoy innocence.

So, all in all, Draco really didn't want Harry being murderously angry with him.

"Fine Potter, I'll keep my mouth shut. Happy?" Draco said with resignation.

"Not even slightly." Harry responded.

"Guys! Hermione is moving!" T-dog yelled suddenly. Harry and Draco's head snapped around before they practically teleported to Hermione's bedside.

"Come on, wake up Hermione. Wake up." Harry coaxed gently. He held his breath as he saw her eyelids flutter once…twice…three times now.

"You can do it. Its time to wake up now." Harry said. Draco just watched with T-Dog on the other side of the bed. He was….moderately happy that Granger seemed to be waking up. In the past months he had grown…fond? Attached, attached to the muggleborn. Here he was, stranded in a desolate nightmare surrounded by muggles and, after everything he had did, Hermione was there to help him. Harry had been right when he had said Hermione had been keeping him in check. The Malfoy heir had learned many things from Hermione. She had been willing to help him regardless of what he had done in the past. At the time, he didn't know whether he should be inspired or scoff at her stupidity.

"T-Dog, go get some water." Draco ordered, still watching Hermione's eyes for movement. T-Dog immediately set upon the tast.

"Come on 'Mione, its time to get up. You're missing exams!" Harry said, mostly out of humor. He really hadn't expected it to work.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Hermione awoke to bling light in her eyes and strangers gathered around her bed.. She squinted at first while she tried to focus on the people around her bed. She quickly reclosed her eyes when they started to sting.

"Come on 'Mione, its time to get up. You are missing exams!" someone said to her. Exams? How could she miss exams! But wait…she was out of school…so what exams was that guy talking about? Still, the mere thought of missing an exam helped her to wake up a little faster.

"You can do it 'Mione, just open your eyes." The voice coached again. She knew that voice…but from where? Her foggy mind tried to figure out who the person was that the voice belonged too.

She tried opening her eyes again slowly, satisfied for the moment that her eyes had adjusted to the light. Hermione then looked up towards the man leaning over her. That same man was whispering thanks and whatnot to any God that could hear him. She tried to speak but only ended up coughing through her raw feeling throat.

"Here, drink this. It's water." The familiar voice said. She felt a cup placed against her lips then. She closed her eyes and took a few sips of water, relishing the feeling of the cool liquid running down her throat. The cup was soon taken away and she opened her eyes once more. The light above her was obscuring her vision so she squinted again, trying to see the person's face.

He leaned his head back then and Hermione's eyes began to rapidly focus on the man's face.

It couldn't be….

"Harry?" She croaked out, her sore throat and wealth of emotions messing with her voice.

"Yeah, it's me Hermione. It's me, I'm here with you." Harry replied, smiling down at her.

_'__It's too bad he's not real,' _she thought to herself while frowning slightly,_ 'I wish he really was here. Still, it is a good dream.'_

"How are you feeling Hermione?" Harry asked.

"….Fine. Don't wanna wake up from this dream." She responded with a smile. It was rather nice to have Harry around her again, even if it was only in her dreams.

"I'm really here Hermione, I'm real." Harry replied with a small chuckle.

"Are you…really?" Hermione asked with hesitation and desperation in her voice.

Harry leaned over, grasping one of her hands in both of his. Hermione was startled at the contact she felt.

"Yes Hermione, it's really is me." Harry said quietly, a large smile planted on his lips. It took several seconds for Hermione's stasis addled mind caught up with the voice, face, and feel of the person beside her.

Hermione began to sob in relief as she took in the _real_ Harry. The alive Harry.

Her voice failed her then, the emotional lump in her throat robbing her of any possibility of talking. Instead she let her tears of relief and happiness pour shamelessly down her face as gripped Harrys hand like a lifeline.

, now clad in a hazmat suit, watched the reunion from the other side of the tent.

Posted: 12-05-2014

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**A/N**

**Shorter chapter. I hope that is ok with everyone. I had a few people recommend making the chapters smaller so I can get updates out quicker. So here is my first try! I figured that this was a good time to test it. How about that scene with the Malfoy family? I wonder what kind soul ended up convincing Harry not to kill them all. **

**I based Harry off the idea that, after killing Voldemort, Harry didn't want what happened in the last war to happen again. No one would go free that didn't deserve it. Catching all the rest of the Death Eaters would completely eliminate the threat they presented, and Harry was all for that! So tell me what you think!**

**Anyway, thanks all for your reviews and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Read and review if you feel up to it!**

**And don't forget, I am on Kik messenger so you can ask me questions there too!. I go under the handle artariouss and yes, there are two Ss.**

**Also, I would like to give another shout out to the ever wonderful rocknrollprincess131 and girl-at-home13 ! Thanks you guys for your help on this chapter. I appreciate it.**

**And thanks also to chocolatecheesecakes for continuing to make sure Harry doesn't turn into a boorish American :P**


	8. Stories and Lamentations

I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters… Or any of the Walking Dead characters either… If I had, Carl would not have been shot and Lucius would have had a much bigger role in things, just saying. Shane would still be dead though… Yeah…As a doornail

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_Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:_

_"__I'm really here Hermione, I'm real." Harry replied with a small chuckle._

_"__Are you…really?" Hermione asked with hesitation and desperation in her voice. _

_Harry leaned over, grasping one of her hands in both of his. Hermione was startled at the contact she felt. _

_"__Yes Hermione, it's really is me." Harry said quietly, a large smile planted on his lips. It took several seconds for Hermione's stasis addled mind caught up with the voice, face, and feel of the person beside her. _

_Hermione began to sob in relief as she took in the real Harry. The alive Harry._

_Her voice failed her then, the emotional lump in her throat robbing her of any possibility of talking. Instead she let her tears of relief and happiness pour shamelessly down her face as gripped Harrys hand like a lifeline._

_ , now clad in a hazmat suit, watched the reunion from the other side of the tent._

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

After Hermione had woken up, Dr. Jenner had entered the quarantine tent and taken his samples. Harry stood beside Hermione's bed, both holding the others hand the whole time. The doctor left after taking the samples he needed, promising to get their tests done as soon as possible.

"They have priority. I should be able to tell you the results before dinner is served, don't worry." He said with a polite smile before exiting the room once more. Harry and Hermione had been quite during the blood taking, simply enjoying one another's company. No words were needed. She was just happy to have a constant back in her life. After Jenner left, however, the formally bushy haired Gryffindor began talking as fast as her exhausted state would let her.

"I'm so happy you are alive Harry! So, so happy!" She said before she started crying a little. Harry quickly tried to comfort her.

"It's ok Hermione! I'm right here."

"Wooos right here?" A groggy voice called from the bed next to him. Draco immediately went to Andromeda's side.

"How are you feeling Andromeda?" Draco asked in concern.

"Fine..fine…where are we? What…Harry? How are you here!" She asked as she tried to sit up. Draco reached over to help her.

The next fifteen minutes were filled with Harry, but mostly Draco, explaining the situation and where they were. Both women were terribly sad to hear about the attack on the camp. Andromeda was particularly sad that Jim had died. Everyone wanted to hear more about the Vatos…even T-Dog.

Doctor Jenner reappeared giving them the all clear just as Harry was about to tell them the abridged version. It was good timing though. Everything that needed to be explained had been. Well most everything….the magic would have to wait.

Draco was frantic when Andromeda stood up and onto her unsteady legs. She had been in stasis so long and she was still very weak. Draco had demanded a 'Wheeled Conveyance" to be brought to Andromeda earning him some funny looks.

Eventually, the four magicals were able to move out of the quarantine room and back to the 'big room' where the dinner was being held. Everyone cheered when they saw both Hermione and Andromeda awake and talking once more. Harry took a seat on Hermione's left while Draco pulled up a chair next to Andromeda.

The revelry progressed quickly as there was a significant amount of alcohol present. Harry didn't like the taste of the wine he was given though. He would take a firewisky any day over this stuff.

All the laughter and conversation stopped when Rick began tapping his glass and stood up.

"It seems to me that we haven't thanked our host properly." Rick began.

"He is more than a host!" T-Dog replied loudly. Everyone around the table agreed, Daryl even let out a 'Booyah!' Harry agreed with that sentiment.

"So when are you going to tell us what went on here Doc? All the other doctors working to beat this thang….where are they?" Shane asked over the praise for the doctor. Everyone paused at the question while Dr. Jenner looked on with mild apathy. Harry thought Shane was being a dick about it….but he was right. He did ask the million pound question….

"We're celebrating Shane…we don't need to do this now." Rick replied with mild disappointment.

"Whoa hang on there. That's the whole point we came here right? For answers? That was your call. But all we found was him….one man…..why?" Shane questioned. Everyone looked towards the doctor at that moment.

"Well when things got bad, a lot of them just left. Went to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military got overrun….the rest bolted."

"All of em?" Shane asked, unwilling to completely believe the man's story. Jenner, for his part, simply looked at Shane with a look of…pity? What was that about.

"No…many of them couldn't face walking out that door. So they….opted out of the whole thing. There was a rash of suicides…..that was a bad time." The doctor replied, he gaze far away as he remembered his colleges killing themselves. Everyone around the table had become progressively more and more depressed as the story went on.

"You didn't leave….why?" Andrea asked.

"I just kept working…hoping I could do…some good." Jenner replied.

"Were there any others?" Hermione questioned tentatively.

"One…there was one." The doctor replied in a soft voice, looking down. No one felt the need to ask what had happened….they all had a pretty good idea.

There was a shot pause before Glenn spoke what was on everyone's mind.

"Dude..you are such a buzzkill man…"

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

The dinner eventually wound down, everyone either tipsy or flat out drunk. Everyone was happier though. Even after Shane's buzzkilling, the meal had progressed back onto lighter topics and happier conversations. For Harry, however, the fun and happiness clashed directly with the nervousness and anxiety he felt as the night progressed. He had so many questions….but he couldn't figure out if he really wanted to know the answers. Soon though, the group broke up and went to their chosen rooms to sleep off the alcohol and good feelings.

Harry helped Draco push Andromeda's wheelchair down the hallways and into the room she and Hermione had chosen for themselves. Teddy had sat happily on his granma's lap, enjoying the motion of the wheelchair and chattering away at Andromeda as only a little child could. Once she had been situated, Hermione took Teddy into the adjoining room to put him down to sleep. Harry almost objected but he held his tongue when he saw his godson hold his arms out for Hermione to pick him up.

_'__Best not interfere with their routine'_ Harry rationalized. The small ache in his chest didn't go away, however. He, Draco, and Andromeda sat there in a tense silence. No one was looking forward to the conversation that was about to take place. Harry took a look around just trying to keep his mind occupied. The room was fairly nice. It had a nice bed, plenty of light, a small two seated couch, and a small vanity tucked in a corner with water bottles all over the top.. There was also a TV on top of a dresser but it sat unused.

Quickly enough, or painfully slow, Harry couldn't decide which, Hermione came back into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She moved across the room to sit in the chair next to Harry. He simply watched her advance, easily able to see the tension in her body and apprehension on her face as she walked.

She cleared her throat after she sat down.

"I know you have questions Harry. But please, answer one of mine first." Hermione started. Her brown eyes large and imploring. He never could say no to those eyes. Even when she had stolen his Firebolt and given it to the teachers, those eyes had tempered his hot temper. Not much…but more than anyone else has….ever.

"Alright." Harry said.

"Ok…ok. How did you survive Harry? I…I had hoped you were still alive but….there hasn't been power for _months._" Hermione questioned. The desperation, longing, and sadness she had felt while she was incapable of getting to her first friend came rushing back. She could feel the tears trying to fall, but she fought them back.

"I err…don't know exactly. I woke up about two weeks ago…" Harry began to explain before he was interrupted.

"Two weeks!?" Andromeda practically yelled before evolving into a coughing fit. Draco got up immediate to grab one of the bottles of water on the vanity. He opened it before handing it to Andromeda. She nodded her thanks as she sipped it slowly. Once her coughing fit was under control she was able to speak again.

"You only woke up two weeks ago? That can't be possible…Eight months? Six…SIX! Without food or water?" She demanded. Harry just shrugged.

"I don't know how, but it is possible. I'm here after all. I thought my magic might have had something to do with it. But I haven't ever considered it honestly." Harry replied. The only time in his memory his magic had done anything like what had happened was when his hair had regrown over night after being shaved to the scalp.

"But…six months of magic sustaining you? No one has that large of reserves!" Andromeda was incredulous. Sure, maybe someone like Dumbledore could get away with that…but she just couldn't see Harry being that powerful.

Hermione, on the other hand, could easily believe it.

"That could really be what happened Andromeda. There hasn't been a single Auror trainee that has been able to best him in power. " the younger witch stated. She had been surprised. Happy, but surprised when she had heard Harry's top ranking in the Auror trainee corp. He had never applied himself enough in his studies….not enough at all. But he made up for that with insane amounts of luck and power.

"I wouldn't put it past Potter. He did defeat the Dark Lord after all..." Draco drawled from his position near Andromeda. There really wasn't much to say after that. Everyone was silent for a few moments before Harry decided to break it.

"Can I ask a question now?"

"Yes Harry. Sorry, go ahead." Hermione replied quickly. She knew that he hated being in the dark. The fact that he let her ask her questions first was not lost on her in the slightest.

"What happened Hermione? What the hell happened to our world?" Harry voiced his most pressing question. It really wasn't the _most_ important question he had but really, that one had really combined all of them together.

Hermione sighed sadly before looking towards Draco and Andromeda. Both magicals had gotten paler than they had been. The deceptively simple question was bringing back the horrors of the past eight months. She had been worried about where to start, how to tell him about the things that happened. She was slightly glad he had asked the question the way he had.

_'__At the beginning it is then.'_ She mentally psyched herself up.

"Okay Harry…that day in the American Ministry? You were talking to the security guard before just falling to the ground. It..it looked like a puppet having its strings cut! I was terrified. " Hermione paused to hold back her tears. That had been the second worse thing she had seen in her life. Hagrid carrying the 'dead' Harry was the worst by far.

"You were immediately taken to the medical ward. No one had any idea what had happened to you, so the entire Ministry went on lockdown. After it was clear you were an isolated case, they resumed normal functions and transferred you to the IMM…err the Institute of Magical Maladies. " Hermione further explained when she saw his confused face. She sported a small blush at her mistake.

"The only thing that the medical witches could say for sure was that you were stable and in some kind of coma. On top of that your magic was extremely low. I wanted to take you back then but they said no. I demanded they talk to Madam Pomfrey. She came over and, in the end, agreed that you needed to stay put. Since they had no idea what happened, they didn't know what types of interactions portkey or floo travel might have on whatever the cause was." She looked into his eyes then, trying to convey the sense of sadness and desperation she felt at his condition.

"I stayed by your bed for days. Ro..Ron had to pry me away, convincing me there might be some information somewhere that I could find." Hermione continued to explain, choking on Ron's name. Harry felt his chest tightening until it was almost painful. He reached over and hugged her, desperately trying to make her feel better. She sobbed into his shoulder as the painful memories became too much. All Harry could do was pat her on the back.

"I'll take over Hermione, you just gather yourself." Andromeda said kindly to the younger witch.

"We all came to see you Harry. Teddy demanded we see you every day. He was none too happy when I told him it couldn't be done just for us. The minster wouldn't allow it you see. International travel was still being restricted under the wartime rules. Teddy sulked and screamed for days. " Andromeda said, smiling fondly at the memory.

"About a three weeks after you went into a coma is when bad things started to happen. Very few in the magical world noticed it at first. The muggle's were the only ones reporting about the civil unrest and violence going on in places like Bulgaria and Romania. Magicals just chalked it up to bad luck while the muggles didn't understand what was going on. When the same things started happening in the rural parts of England, France, and Germany, people just thought they were sympathizers with whatever was going on and went on their merry little way."

"It wasn't until one of the Bulgarian ambassadors portkeyed into the Ministry of Magic with a man eating his arm did people start to pay attention. The resulting panicked spell fire killed both the man and the ambassador, leaving questions with no answers. From what I understand, the Ministry then sent an Auror team to investigate. They were never heard from again."

"Now some of this is second hand. But from what I heard, Kingsley rallied the departments to look into what was going on. By that time it was too late, not that anyone knew it. Several sections of London had started seeing the 'violent cannibals', or so the people called them. The scattered reports that had been coming in turned to hundreds, then thousands not a few days later. Still, magical Britain didn't really care and the investigation spent no time looking into muggle broadcasts. It was a muggle problem after all, why should they concern themselves with it? A month and a half after the first report of violent cannibals in England the first walker, as we now call them, entered Diagon Alley. "

"No one knew then that the bites from these creatures were fatal. That one walker bit nine people before someone managed to kill it. The mediwitches that had arrived on the scene cast a few cleaning charms on the wounds and sealed them up before calling it a day. Those nine people ended up turning at their homes. The Alley had been entirely unprepared and continued to underestimate the situation.

"It wasn't long after the attack in Diagon that hundreds and hundreds of refugees started portkeying into the Ministry from all over the world. Russia, Bulgaira, Ukraine, even as far as Japan. All of them brining stories of incomprehensible horror. The Ministry was soon overflowing, stuffing people into any corner they could while providing medical attention. Kingsley declared a state of emergency and tried to get into contact with the Prime Minster. It was far too late for muggle England though, most of the country had fallen by that point. Parliament had been in the process of moving when they were attacked by walkers. Nearly the entire government fell in that one swoop. Meanwhile, scores of walkers had pushed their way into the Alley. No one knew how they were getting past all the wards, but they were. The only remaining place free of the horde was Gringots. The last I heard, the doors to the bank had been breached; no one knows what happened to the goblins.

"There were so many people upset about not being able to get to their vaults…but it didn't matter in the end. Despite the number of muggleborn arguing about quarantines, none of the Wizengamot listened. Since no one knew the bites were what was causing the death and reanimation of the bodies, none of the infected refugees had been removed from the population. When the bitten died and became walkers, the close proximity caused the infection to spread out of control. The Ministry worker I talked to at Hogwarts said that there had been a pitched battle inside the Ministry against the walker horde. Something happened then…something terrible. We still don't know what exactly… but whatever it was caused the entire Ministry to...to…I watched the Ministry just_ vaporize_, taking all of the Alley and a massive chuck of London with it." Andromeda choked out her last sentence around the lump in her throat. So many had died in the blast…and she still didn't know what had happened.

"At that point, all the survivors were told to evacuate to Hogwarts. I took Teddy and Draco and didn't look back."

Harry had sat in shock listening to Andromeda's story. His hands were gripping Hermione so tight he wasn't sure why she was not yelling in pain. So much death….so many lives gone….

"Hang on…wha ….why was Draco with you?" Harry asked with honest confusion.

"None of your business Potter!" Draco snapped at Harry instantaneously. He was as pale as a sheet when he said it though, so the strength behind it was lacking. Harry just looked at Draco in bewilderment as Andromeda patted his knee.

"It's ok Draco, you need to talk about this."

"I don't want to talk about it!" He rejected.

"That's ok, but he asked what happened, and I am going to tell him." Andromeda replied firmly before turning to look back at Harry.

"I received a letter from Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco asking for an audience with me. I was promised there was nothing nefarious with the planned get together so I decided to go. Besides, I figured it would be nice for Teddy to meet some of his other family."

"What? You took Teddy to the Malfoy's? Are you insane!?" Harry attacked immediately. How could she do that! Put him in that much danger? Her own grandson! What was she thinking!

Andromeda held up a hand to forestall any more of Harry's rant.

"They swore an unbreakable oath at the Ministry not to harm Teddy or I in the slightest. I even verified the Ministry's certification of the vow. It was genuine. "

"So I went to meet with them. I was curious as to the nature of the meeting, but I had an idea. That turned out to be wrong by the way. Once I entered the manor and was seated there was some small talk. Narcissa held Teddy even and Lucius didn't say a thing. Obviously they were trying to make me feel at ease, which only reinforced what I thought the meeting was about."

**FLASHBACK: Malfoy Manor, seven and a half months ago.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Once the green flames died down Andromeda was able to see the Malfoy family assembled in the receiving room. Narcissa stood on Lucius' left while Draco stood at his right

"Welcome Andromeda to the House of Malfoy." Lucius said formally as she stepped out of the floo.

"Thank you for allowing us entrance." She replied just as formally. Lucius gave her a small nod in return. Narcissa, at that point, approached the two.

"Welcome Andromeda. It is wonderful to see you. And this must be Teddy hmm?" She greeted warmly. It was the first time in twenty years Narcissa had spoken to her with anything other than contempt. Andromeda didn't pay it much mind though.

"It is good to see you again in less….trying circumstances. And yes, this is my grandson, Teddy Lupin." Andromeda admonished in a backhanded way. She may have married a muggle and fought for the Light, but she was still born a Black. The rules and dances of 'high society' had been ingrained into her from an early age. Teddy, having been looking around curiously before, buried his head into her shoulder, picking up the tension in her voice.

Narcissa's eyes widened slightly before they showed her sadness. Sadness at what she had done or just reminiscing, Andromeda had no idea. Lucius cleared his throat slightly.

"Yes…but times are different now and the House of Malfoy is…changing its direction. Has changed its direction. Family is more important than the…ideas we held in high regard."

"Oh? How wonderfully convenient. Do tell, how much higher Lucius? " Andromeda asked in a polite voice. Her words, however, were scathing, implying she didn't believe him while simultaneously drawing the parallel from his _last_ change of heart after the first war.

"Completely and totally higher Andromeda, daughter of Black. Past mistakes threatened the Malfoy line in ways that…I didn't comprehend. Family is Paramount and, as such, has become the focus of the three of us."

"Very nice words Lucius. Were they practiced? And it would do you well to remember I am a _Tonks_ now. I may have been born a Black…but the only people who _proved _to be family to me were the Tonks." She replied back instantly, her gaze never wavering from Lucius'. He bowed his head slightly in response, acknowledging both the barb and its truth. Narcissa stepped back at that point, to her position beside her husband. A quick glance over at the youngest Malfoy didn't tell her much. The boy's face was completely blank. Looking at her _dear sister, _however, showed she was hurt by the words she had spoken.

_'__Good. She needs to be.'_ Andromeda thought to herself as she repositioned Teddy.

"Let's retire to the sitting room for our discussion. Would you like any refreshment? Or something for the child to snack on?" Lucius asked, finally acknowledging her grandson…without saying his name.

"No, thank you. I prefer to begin our discussion promptly." She replied. Lucius simply nodded, holding out a hand towards another room. Everyone was soon assembled in one of the many sitting rooms. The Malfoy family sat together, facing Andromeda and Teddy, who had taken position on her lap.

"This is a very nice room. Harry described one like it to me once. It was much darker in his story though." Andromeda said lightly as she looked around. She had a very good idea what this meeting was about….and it would do well for the Malfoy's to remember what exactly happened here. She was happy to see, in a vindictive sort of way, the three Malfoy's grimace to varying degrees.

"Yes…we regret our actions, all of them. Even more so, our actions against the House of Potter."

"The Most _Ancient and Noble_ House of Potter you mean?" Andromeda corrected instantly. She was _not _going to make it easy on them, not one little bit.

Lucius had the decency to look abashed at his mistake. Which he should. There was no excuse for his slip.

"Yes…our actions against the Most Ancient and Noble house of Potter and, by extension, the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black are disgusting marks on our honor. Ones we do not wish to argue or disagree with. They are stains well-earned and we will carry their burden as the consequences of our actions and mistakes. I, being the Head of House and chief perpetrator of said actions also bare the burden of running the Malfoy name and putting my entire family in danger." Lucius agreed, surprising Andromeda slightly. She wasn't so sure now what this meeting might be about….Originally she thought it was to get Narcissa back into the Black family….but now she wasn't so sure.

"Let's cut all this shit out Lucius. I'm tired of it already and it hasn't even been fifteen minutes. Why the hell am I here?" Andromeda snapped, failing to censor herself even though Teddy was present. She felt bad about that…but what is done is done. Her surprise at his comments had turned into anger. Yes, she knew all the dances and flowery language from her childhood, but she had hated it. She still did. This was the first time in years she had to use it and already she had a pounding headache. Screw talking in circles, just get do the damn point man!

Lucius and Narcissa looked taken aback by her sudden change in tone and language. They had been hoping she would continue in the manner…befitting high society….where they knew the ground and would at least be on somewhat equal footing….taking that away caught them completely off guard. Draco, on the other hand, smirked slightly, the only expression he had shown thus far.

"Sister, please..."

"Don't call me that, you don't get to call me that. You lost that right when you helped your precious Voldemort on his campaign of terror and extermination. You hated my son-in-law, you hate my husband, and you hate my grandson. The only reason I even agreed to this is, in my stupid sentimentality, I was glad to get a letter from you Cissy, and that you all swore unbreakables. It must have been important so I came, if only to see you one last time and close this horrible chapter in my life. I don't want to be here with any of you. So get to the point or I'm leaving." She replied in fury. Teddy picked up on her distress and wrapped his little arms around her neck. She patted him gently on the back as she looked at the speechless Malfoy family.

"Alright Andromeda...to the point then. There is a new Heir Black, soon to be Lord Black…."

"Harry will be the next Lord Black, once he takes up the title. And you want me to help get Narcissa back in to the Black family so your son can have a shot at arguing for the Lordship. I think we are done here." Andromeda bit out furiously and stood up. She may not have interacted much with Harry, but both her daughter AND son in law had chosen him as the godfather of their child, making him family by extension. She would be damned if she betrayed him like this.

"Wait, Andromeda that isn't why…" Lucius argued.

"No! Wait Domie, please! That's not it at all!" Narcissa begged as the entire Malfoy family stood up. Andromeda hadn't heard that tone from her sister for a very long time and it made her pause for a second. She looked the three Malfoys over for a moment. They seemed sincere….

"What then? This isn't an attempt to lift the Malfoy name back from obscurity? Tell me why then, and be quick about it! No more games!"

"Please, Andromeda, just sit down and let us explain."

"Your time is limited Lucius."

"It's for me, well my children." Draco spoke up, silencing all three adults. Andromeda looked incredulously at the youngest Malfoy. Did he really think he could pull one over on her like that?

"So instead of Lordship now, you want to have your children be the soul inheritors Draco? I admit, that is very cunning….but it won't work. I won't help you do that."

"No! It's not like that at all Auntie! Please! Just listen to my reasoning, then make your decision." Draco pleaded when he realized exactly how close this opportunity was to slipping though his fingers. He had been extremely pleased when Andromeda has accepted their invitation. It had been his idea to take the unbreakable at the Ministry, he was sure that would have gotten her attention.

Andromeda, meanwhile, scrutinized the youngest Malfoy from top to bottom. He was practically begging…and he denied the reasoning she had assumed he was going for…but could his word be trusted? Something in the back of her mind was telling her to listen. Even if they had been monsters in the past, Cissy and her son were still family through the Black side. Besides, she would need to know as much as possible so she could tell Harry everything as soon as he woke up. Hearing his proposal wouldn't be too much trouble…and she could always walk out. They couldn't hurt her, not with the unbreakables in place.

"Alright Draco….you have five minutes." She responded before retaking her seat. Narcissa and Lucius sat back down with a relived sigh while Draco continued standing.

"Okay…okay here is how it is. The Malfoy name is trashed. After everything we did, we deserve it. It's unmistakable and none of us are going to challenge that. As you are well aware, Sirius put you back into the Black line while he removed my mother and myself from the Black line, but he didn't invoke the Blood Traitor magic. "

"Which was more than you deserved Draco." Andromeda said in a hard voice. She would have been devastated if Sirius had called for the Black's Blood magic…but it would not have been any less than they deserved.

"Yes…yes I agree now. I wouldn't have before but…the war changed everything, even me. I can see how wrong it was for us to follow that mad man. He killed as many of us as combat did! But that's not what I was wanting to discuss. I've changed and now I can see, with utmost clarity, that family is the most important thing a wizard should have. I would like your help in getting back into the Black line."

"You _just_ said that I wasn't here to help you get a valid position to fight for the Lordship. And now you are a liar Draco. I am so disappointed." Andromeda stated sadly as she prepared to leave. She had hoped that he had seen sense…but no, he was too deep into the family to do anything less than what he had tried to ask her to do. It would hurt, but she would need to cut them from her life completely.

"No! That's not what I want! This isn't about the Black Lordship! I don't want to be in consideration for the Head of House. I would readily accept entrance back into the Black line so long as that was the stipulation, that I would never be considered for the Lordship!"

"But you want your children to be though? Why else would you want back into the line, assuming you aren't _lying_ ." Andromeda returned with anger.

"Protection!" Draco all but yelled, frustrated by the way the conversation as going. This wasn't what he had planned at all!

"Protection?" Andromeda asked in bewilderment.

"Yes! Protection for my children, whenever I have them." Draco responded.

"You need to explain that to me Draco…."

"As I've stated, the Malfoy name is spit upon by everyone the country over. Any of my children would automatically have that stigma attached to them, for the things that I and my parents did. I don't want that! I…I don't want my mistakes to have such a dire impact on my children! So many doors would be closed to them, so many opportunities." Draco explained with a large amount of emotion.

"But, but! If they were a part of the Black line so many of those doors would remain open. Any son I would have would still have a vast number of opportunities to choose from. The Malfoy name wouldn't be enough to protect any daughter I have, but the Black name would! People would think they could get away with anything against a daughter of Malfoy, but never a Black! Even more so now since Harry would be the new Lord Black. None of them would have to be considered for the Lordship either. That would only ever be a decision Potter could make. " Draco finished, looking expectantly at Andromeda. For her part, her mind was reeling at the reasoning.

She could understand it now, of course. The Black name had risen up to heights it hadn't seen for centuries due to Sirius' and Harry's acts. It also explained a great many things, like their need to talk to her first.

"And you can't approach Harry with this without some kind of backup he respects…." Andromeda said slowly as the dots connected and the gears continued to spin.

"Yes, exactly! Especially not after his ultimatum. He would jump to the wrong conclusions, like you did. Not that I blame you!" Draco hastily placated after hearing what his statement sounded like. He couldn't afford to.

"Ultimatum?" Andromeda asked in curiosity. She hadn't known he had given them an ultimatum.

"Minutes before the trial, Harry came and talked to us. Told us that he had been given the chance to use the Black Blood magic against myself and my son, but chose against it. He…told us that if we ever made the same mistakes again, that we wouldn't live long enough to regret it." Narcissa explained.

Andromeda felt her eyes widen slightly. That _was_ certainly an ultimatum if she ever heard one.

"Huh, kid has more backbone than I thought." She mused out loud

"I was there, in the forest, when he confronted the Dark…Voldemort. I watched as he sacrificed himself so others would have a chance. I have never seen the like in all my life." Narcissa said, her mind snapping back to that terrible night.

Just then, a haggard looking house elf popped into the center of the room.

"Masta Lucis! Masta Lucis! There be some people trying a get in da front door! Dippy be thinking they be muggles Masta Lucis!" The elf stated frantically.

"The front door? Muggles? What of the wards Dippy? I've felt nothing to indicate people on the property."

"Me sa not knowing Masta Lucis! But they bes there, pounding on da door!"

"Activate the repelling wards while I floo the Ministry then." Lucius said as he stood up.

"Wes can't Masta Lucis! Wes beens trying but they no work!" Dippy the elf cried. She couldn't believe she was failing her master so bad! Couldn't even bring up wards!

"The wards aren't working? That shouldn't me possible." Narcissa stated. Draco looked concernedly at his mother. What was going on?

"I will go observe the situation Lucius, go floo the Auror's." Narcissa said as she got up and walked towards the front of the house.

"Dippy, go with her." Lucius ordered as he headed to the floo. Dippy disappeared with a crack. Lucius walked to the small firecall station in the room before throwing a pinch of dust in.

"Auror department." He called out before sticking his head in the flames.

"Yes? Yes I need help. I have unidentified muggles pounding on my door. The wards are failing to repel them I need….Hello? Hello?" He began to explain, only for the other side to go black and the flames to extinguish.

"What the devil?" He asked out loud.

"Wand out Draco, something feels wrong about this." Andromeda stated, pulling her own wand out and repositioning Teddy. Draco followed suit and had is wand out, Lucius followed soon after.

Just then, Narcissa ran back into the room covered in blood and holding a house elf.

"Lucius! They've broken in! Hundreds of them! The house elves couldn't stop them. They…they're _eating _them Lucius! " Narcissa practically screeched, such was the level of her panic. She quickly deposited the elf in her arms on the couch. Lucius swiftly cast a warding charm on the door, shutting and locking them tightly.

"You're hurt mother!" Draco yelled, pointing to a bite like mark on her arm.

"It's nothing. One of them bit me before I could shove them away. They are _coming_ Lucius! Did you floo the Aurors? " She waved off her wound dismissively as she questioned her husband.

"Yes but the connection died shortly after."

A loud crash was heard in the next room. Everyone turned to stare at the door. Dippy popped in right then bloody and barley able to stand.

"Mast…Masta Lucis….dey…be comi…coming…." The poor injured elf gasped out through the pain. Almost immediately after delivering that dire message, Dippy the house elf collapsed, dead from blood loss. Not a second later, the doors that had been warded were pushed open. Three shambling, muggles by the looks of their clothes, stumbled into the sitting room. All three were hideously deformed or injured in one way or another. One was even missing an arm! Andromeda moved beside the Malfoy family. Too late did she notice Narcissa hadn't followed her.

"Narcissa!" Andromeda yelled, startling Teddy and causing him to cry. The female Malfoy seemed to shake herself out of her shock, but it was for naught. The three muggles grabbed her and forced her to the ground, moaning the entire time.

Lucius wasted no time in his attack.

**"****Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!" **He yelled, shooting the green curse at two of the three muggles. Both fell off to the side, stiff as a board. The third one raised itself up from off of Narcissa and looked towards Lucius.

** "****Avada Kedavra!" **Draco yelled, targeting the last muggle that was on his mother. It too fell over, stiff like a frozen statue. Lucius ran over to his wife and kneeled on the ground. He cried out in shock and despair as he saw her lifeless eyes staring up at the celling. Draco made to move to his father's side when Andromeda stopped him by grabbing his shirt.

"Lucius! Look out! There's more!" She yelled before casting a Bombarda spell at the group coming through the door. That bought enough time for Lucius to stand up, fury present in his entire posture.

**"****Protege familia! Pones autem praevaricatorum!"** Lucius yelled out while holding his Head of House ring high in the air, calling upon the ancient siege wards of the Manor to protect the family. According to family history the siege wards had only been activated a few times since they had been put in place. They would take the stored magical energy from the wardstone at the center of the manor that had been collected and use it as a concentrated attack on every living thing that was not a member or a friend of the Malfoy family. All intruders would have burst into flame and died in agony…at least that was what should have happened.

Instead, a high pitched, teeth jarring, whining sound started to echo throughout the entire manor. The four magicals looked around in confusion as the sound got louder and higher in pitch. Everyone grew concerned when the entire house began to shake. Lucius's mouth dropped open in shock when he finally understood what was going on.

The wardstone was collapsing!

There were only seconds left. He immediately chose the only option left to him. Save his son and his two in-laws.

"I banish you three from the House of Malfoy hence forth! Be gone!" He commanded, pointing he wand at the three of them. Instantly they were forcibly apparated away and off the Malfoy grounds. Lucius had only a second to smile before his world went white and he knew no more.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Draco, Andromeda and Teddy all fell in a heap a thousand yards away from Malfoy Manor. Teddy cried out in fear at the sensation and the fall. Draco sprung up, looking confusedly at the Manor in the distance. Why had his father done that? He could still fight! He received his answer when a bright white explosion engulfed the entire manor and most of the surrounding estate. Draco fell to his knees seconds before the shockwave washed over the three. Draco was sent sprawling while Andromeda threw herself over Teddy.

After the winds died down Andromeda chanced a look out into the distance. The scene that greeted her was one of utter destruction. Where once the mighty Malfoy Manor, which had stood for over seven hundred years, now a massive flaming hole stood in its place. The fires that burned uncontrolled blackened all the vegetation surrounding the estate. Nothing was left.

When she noticed movement around the periphery of the estate, Andromeda grabbed Draco and, while still holding Teddy, sidalong apparated them to the Ministry.

**FLASHBACK END%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

"When we got there the order to retreat from the Ministry had already been given. A large group assembled around us and we all were portkeyed to a safe area inside muggle London. I watched as the Ministry went up just like Malfoy manner. Nothing was left. I immediately apparated them to Hogsmead and, together, we ran into Hogwarts." Andromeda concluded her tale. Her hand had found Draco's about halfway through the story and hadn't let him go sense. The youngest…_last_ Malfoy was sitting rigid next to his Aunt.

So many things made sense to Harry now. Like why Draco had been so willing to help, why he had been so protective of Andromeda. She was the last of his family on the planet. Harry felt an immeasurable sense of sadness then. He knew how it felt to have family ripped from him and he wouldn't have wished that on his worst enemy…ever.

"Draco…I am so sorry." Harry said softly to the distraught teen. Draco only nodded stiffly, more pale than he had been in a very long time. Harry thought it would be best to never mention the glistening of the unshed tears in his eyes.

"It all happened so fast…." The last Malfoy whispered as he remembered that day from his own point of view. He had been so hopeful that he could convince Andromeda to help him, so determined. That was the day the Malfoy family would have changed for the better! Well…it sill changed, just not in any way, shape, or form that he had intended.

"I..I need to take a walk." Draco said, getting up suddenly and all but bolting for the door. Hermione and Andromeda watched him go sadly.

"He's still bottling up so much." Andromeda said with sadness. Hermione only nodded her head before continuing the story.

"Things went downhill pretty fast after that..." Hermione spoke up, her voice still rough from her crying. She was still crying, but now it was her sadness for Draco that brought her to tears. She may have hated him for the longest time, but even she would not have wished that on anyone, even Malfoy.

"How could all this happen." Harry asked out loud, mostly to himself.

"There were theories…so many theories. Even a plague from God was mentioned more times than I could count. The simple fact is Harry…we just don't know enough to be sure." Hermione replied. They had spent so much effort in trying to figure it out…but nothing came of it. They might as well have been running around in circles.

"What about Ron Hermione…what happened to him? And the other Weasleys, are they _all _dead?" Harry asked, turning towards his friend. He knew it was a mistake to ask as soon as he saw her distraught face.

"Ne…never mind Hermione! We can talk about it later."

"No…no Harry you need to know…I just…give me a second." Hermione said in response. She had to control herself. She needed to tell Harry what had happened to his friend and his extended family.

**FLASHBACK: The Burrow, seven and a half months ago.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**"**Hermione, be a dear and go get your fiancé out bed please." Molly Weasley asked pleasantly as she cooked the morning meal.

She was down one helper this morning. Arthur had been called into the Ministry early for something. So, while down a helper she had one less person to feed. That thought sent a sudden flash of deep sadness through her bones. Her son, Fred…was gone. There would be one less to feed at the table, forever. Damn that war! She hated it, hated all the pain it caused and all the people it took.

Thinking about the war brought other emotions forward. Anger and frustration. She had been so angry at Harry for helping the Malfoy's get off, _again. _They had fought for Voldemort! Had helped him murder her poor son. They had even tortured Hermione, her newest daughter in the family. Why on earth would he have done such a foolish thing? She had gone so far as to check him for curses the moment he stepped out of the courtroom. She had considered Harry part of the family, and for him to go and help the people who hurt her family…well she just couldn't let that go without saying something!

The rift that had formed in the aftermath of her rant between her, the family, and Harry was deep. She hadn't seen him in months. And then that poor boy had gone and fallen into a coma. She had visited him, along with the entire Weasley family. Molly felt so guilty over what had happened, even more so for keeping Ginny from Harry. They were a nice pair, but in the aftermath of the Malfoy Family Trial she had forbidden her from seeing him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the dull thumps of someone coming down the stairs. Seconds latter, Ginny, Ron, George, and Hermione had descended.

"Morning all!" Molly called out cheerily, hiding the thoughts and emotions she had been feeling just minutes ago.

"Hullo mum." Ron said over a yawn. She had let them all sleep in that day. It was a nice day to do so anyway.

Soon, everyone was seated at the table ready to dig in. Molly walked over and sat down as a parade of her freshly made foods hovered into the room and down onto the table.

"Tuck in everybody!" She called out happily, walloping a large spoon of mashed potatoes on her plate. Everyone started eating then. Conversation was light as everyone enjoyed their meal and the atmosphere. After Molly had finished most of her plate she sought to engage the newest addition to the family in conversation.

"So, Hermione. Any more news on all those ghastly muggle attacks? " She questioned.

"Oh it's getting terrible Mrs. Weasley. I haven't been able to find out much more than that the attacks are increasing. So many of the news channels just aren't saying anything new." Hermione said after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"That's terrible dear. But maybe no new news is good news hmmm? Maybe they are dealing with it." Molly replied with an upbeat attitude. Honestly, the things muggles get wrapped up in….

"Maybe…" Hermione said unsurely before looking down at her plate. She wasn't convinced the situation was getting better. In fact, she was almost sure that it was getting much, much worse.

"See children? We have a lot to be thankful for. Imagine if we had to deal with something worse than vampires? Honestly!"

Everyone around the table murmured their agreement as the kept eating. While still sleepy, for the most part none of them really cared what was going on in the muggle world save for Hermione. They were all more interested in the Death Eater trials and what had happened in the Alley a few days ago.

Near the end of the breakfast, a large gonging sound reverberated around the house. Everyone went pale instantly. The Family Clock! Molly shot up and ran into the other room, her children and Hermione following closely behind. Everyone's heart froze when they all looked up at the clock.

The hand representing Arthur had spun until it was firmly under 'MORTAL DANGER'. Molly cried out in shock before running to the floo. "The Ministry, Author Weasley's office!" She yelled into the fire after she threw her pinch in.

"Arthur? Arthur! Are you there?" Molly called frantically into the fire. There was no response on the other end. She couldn't even see her husband's office!

"Mum look!" Ginny yelled, getting Molly's attention. She had been so caught up in her frantic search for her husband that she hadn't heard the clock's ominous chime happen again. Now every Weasley still alive was firmly under the 'MORTAL DANGER' heading, including Hermione!

"Mum, what's going on!" Ron asked in a slight panic. The clock had only done this once before and that was during the Death Eater attack during Bill's wedding.

"I don't know Ron. Wands out everyone!" Molly called out. She had to remain calm. Or…at least look calm in the face of whatever threat where was, even if she was terrified on the inside.

"I left mine in my room!" Ginny cried out before dashing to and up the stairs.

"George go help your sister find her wand!" Molly barked out. Ron left immediately to help Ginny.

"Molly? Molly! Are you there?" Arthur's voice called out from the floo. Molly let out a huge sigh of relief. Arthur was alright!

"I'm here Arthur! What is goin…" She replied back to him before he interrupted her.

"Hurry! Activate all the wards!" He yelled at her.

"What? Why Arth…"

"JUST DO IT MOLLY!" He bellowed back at her. She flinched like she was struck before she went into the kitchen and put her wand up to the wall.

"Dumbledore." She said the password to activate the wards. Immediately a low hum filled the house as layer upon layer of successive wards were activated. She scrambled back to the floo, catching the tail end of the conversation Ron was having with his father.

"Just stay inside Ron. Molly! Listen, I don't have much time! The Ministry is being evacuated! Something…something got loose! People are eating each other! We are being overrun! You need to aim for the head Molly. Tell the kids! Aim for the head! The killing curse _does not work_! Use Diffindo! I love you all. Stay sa..." Arthur's message was cut short when a loud explosion was transmitted through the floo. Molly was blown back and debris flew everywhere as the fireplace exploded outwards.

"Mum! Mum are you alright? Say something mum! Please!" Ron cried openly. He didn't need to look at the clock to know what it said.

"I'm alright Ron…just help me up." Molly managed to get out. She was still in shock over the ordeal. She glanced absent mindedly at the clock out of habit. This time, however, her blood froze when she saw her husband's clock arm pointing directly to "Dead'.

Molly cried openly along with her son as the two started at the clock. Hermione's shock was so complete that she couldn't even shed a tear. Ginny and George rushed into the room shortly after the explosion.

"What was that! Why are you crying mum?" George asked after he saw how distraught his mother was. She was only able to point towards the clock, words having failed her. George looked over and gasped in shock while Ginny started to wail uncontrollably. George was the first to shake himself out of his shock, he had important information he needed to get out.

"Mum! Ginny still can't find her wand. And while we were upstairs I saw a huge group of people headed this way! I didn't care at first, they had been walking in the other direction. But once the wards went up they all turned and started heading here! It was really creepy now that I think about it…." George said, thinking about how weird it had been seeing all those people turn as one and start coming their way.

"It's okay dear, the wards are up so nothing can get us in here. Remember the reworking Bill did? Our wards are stronger than ever!" Molly declared confidently while trying to fight back her tears. There would be time to mourn later. Right now, she had to keep her children calm and safe.

"Keep your wands up though, just to be safe. Ginny, where on earth could you have left your wand!" Molly admonished slightly. She couldn't help herself, even in the face of her crying daughter. Her comment, incidentally, made Ginny cry harder.

"Oh there there Ginny. I know this is hard…but your father loved you." Molly tried to sooth. All she wanted to do was cry along with her daughter…but the war had changed her. She knew now how important it was to project calm so that others would _stay_ calm. Now was one of those times.

"Mum….how far do the wards extend?" George asked hesitantly as he peered through the window.

"Oh George, out past a hundred yards. Why?" Molly responded without paying much attention. She was still trying to comfort her daughter after all.

"Because mum…they are inside the wards _right now_._" _George responded gravely, backing up from the window.

"What? That can't be right…" Molly responded. She moved Ginny around and motioned for Hermione to come over. The brown haired girl moved over and quickly encompassed Ginny in a hug as Molly made her was over to the window. She had just stuck her face up to the glass to look out when a bloody hand impacted the window.

"Bloody damn!" She yelled out as she jumped backwards. Ron and George put their wands up at the door while Hermione pulled hers out while pushing Ginny behind her.

"Oh my goodness. I am glad that glass was charmed unbreakable!" Molly replied with a nervous laugh. How had they….whoever they were gotten through the wards? Hadn't William said the wards would make some audible noise if someone broke through?

"Mum the glass!" Ginny yelled, pointing at the window. Molly was shaken out of her thoughts when she saw the cracks starting to form.

"That's impossible! It would take a dragon to break that glass! " Molly yelled in fright. The glass shattered a second later as one of the attackers fell through it.

"**Stupefy!"** four voices yelled. The red spells pelting into the throng of people pushing to get inside. None of the spells were effective though, as every person hit paused for only a second before redoubling their efforts to get in.

"Quickly get upstairs!" Molly yelled as she started throwing hexes and the few curses she knew. None caused the desired effect and she soon retreated. As she made her way through the kitchen she saw dozens, maybe hundreds more people banging on all the windows.

"How can this be happening!" She yelled out to no one as she rushed up the stairs. She brushed passed her two sons who had taken up station on either side of the stairwell.

"We need to get out of there! Should we apparate to the Ministry?" George asked as he continued to stare down the stairs.

"No! No, your fa…your father said they were evacuating…Hogwarts. We need to go to Hogwarts!" Molly stumbled over the reminder her husband was dead.

"Mum! I can't apparate!" Ginny cried out with no small amount of terror.

"Don't worry, I'll take you honey. You three go, we'll be behind you."

"I'm not leaving you mum!" Ron immediate disagreed.

The sound of a large number of people coming up the stairs caused all conversation to stop.

"**Bombarda!"** George yelled as soon as he saw the first deformed muggle crest the stairs. The house shook from the spell.

"NO! Use Diffindo George! **Diffindo!****_"_** Molly called out, pointing her wand at the advancing people.

"**Diffindo!"** Ron, George, and Hermione all cast at the same time. The advancing wall of people paused for a second before resuming their march up the stairs. Hermione had to grab Ron's shoulder when the house shook violently without warning.

"I said no Bombarda George!"

"I didn't cast it!"

"Then what…" Molly began to ask before the house gave another massive shutter. She looked up as she heard a loud snapping sound, only to see a massive crack appear in the ceiling. Much to her horror, the crack quickly expanded and shot across the room.

"The house is coming apart! " She yelled over the spell fire.

"Everyone, apparate to Hogsmead now! GO go go!" She yelled at the three apparition capable kids.

"Mum I'm not…" Ron started before he flinched at the look his mother was giving him.

"Ronald Weasley! You apparate to safety right this minute! You too George!." Molly bellowed at her son. Ron, George, and Hermione all raised their wands in preparation. George and Ron left with mighty cracks, a testament to their lack of focus on the spell. Hermione stayed behind just a second longer, she always had to concentrate a little bit more than others.

"Mum!" Came Ginny's terrified scream. Hermione and Molly looked to Ginny only to see the floor starting to sag.

"Ginny!" Molly yelled as she sprinted towards her daughter. Hermione felt the floor beneath her give way and her stomach to fly into her throat as she started to plummet down from four stories up. She quickly apparated to Hogsmead. She had forgotten to twist so she fell down after losing her footing. All she could think about was two things. First, that she was safe…..

Second, that she now had to tell Ron his mother was dead…..

**FLASHBACK END%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

"I felt the house start to collapse. And when I used the pointme spell….neither of them survived. I am so sorry Harry." Hermione said through her tears. Harry just sat there, shocked once more by the…sheer brutality of how his surrogate family had died. Sure they were on the outs, but that didn't change how he felt about them!

"I believe that's enough for tonight Harry. We can talk about this tomorrow." Andromeda said from her chair. The last Black sister was exhausted from telling her story and from listening, again, to Hermione's. She had so many emotions running though her…her body just couldn't handle them all.

"But…what about Ron?" Harry managed to ask.

"I said enough Harry! Look at Hermione! Be considerate young man!" Andromeda admonished. It was a low blow, but one that needed to be utilized. All three of them, four including Draco, couldn't deal with everything all at once, bringing back all the memories in one night.

Harry looked over at Hermione after Andromeda's admonishment and saw that she was correct. The normally beautiful young woman was…well still beautiful but the tear streaks and her red eyes proved she needed rest…both emotional and physically.

"I'm so sorry Hermione. Is there anything I can do?"

"No Harry…I have to deal with this in my own way. Some sleep would be good." She replied through sniffles.

"Why don't you go find our missing Dragon, Harry. He's been gone quite some time. " Andromeda suggested. Harry looked over at her and saw in her eyes that it wasn't a request.

"Right…I'll go find Draco." Harry agreed. Giving one last hug to Hermione he made his way to the exit.

"If you need me in the night, either of you, just come get me…"

"We will Harry. Thank you." Andromeda replied for Hermione. The poor girl had talked enough.

"Right the…." Harry said, hesitating only slightly as he exited the room. He had wanted to stay with Hermione….but maybe 'girl' time would help her just as much. So long as she got the help…

Now he just needed to find Draco before he could sleep.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Draco meandered through the hallways with no particular goal. He was lost in his thought about his family. His parents had been ripped away from him so suddenly…they had all survived Voldemort for Merlin sakes! How could they die to..to…cannibal muggles!? It was surreal….and emotionally painful to an extent Draco didn't know if he could ever get over. Andromeda had walked in to his room at Hogwarts one night to find him laying in a pool of his own blood. He had been so lost….He survived his suicide attempt though, obviously. He still remembered the multitude of promises he had made to his Aunt (she let him call her that now) before she would let him out of her sight.

Draco rubbed his wrist absently.

Looking back, he couldn't believe he had been so weak as to try and kill himself. His parents must be so disappointed in him. That happy thought was soon forgotten when Draco heard a woman's scream coming from the room ahead of him. In an act that would make a Gryffindor proud, Draco ran to the door and wrenched it open.

The scene was not what he was expecting.

Loir was sitting on a game table frozen in position while Shane had his shirt mostly off and his hand down her pants. Draco could easily see that Lori was _not_ a willing participant and made sure to note it out loud.

"Well….I knew you were more muscle than brains but even you should know that it's impolite to force a woman the way you are." Draco drawled out. He knew the way he talked irked Shane to no end. He had heard him complaining to Dale about it at one point. Draco continued to be amused by that.

"Jus mind your own damn business boy!" Shane slurred out, glaring at Draco through his bleary eyes.

"Lets ask Lori shall we? Lori do you _want_ Shane's hand down your pants?" Draco asked with mock sincerity. He knew the answer already, obviously. He was just doing to piss Shane off.

"No!" She yelled before trying to push him away. Shane didn't budge though. Draco moved forward just as Lori raked her fingers down the side of Shane's neck. The last Malfoy was impressed with the amount of blood she drew. Shane, the dumb lug that he was, wiped his neck and started at his hand for several seconds.

…..Maybe he was hoping it would do a trick?

"You best forget what you saw, if you know what's good for you." Shane growled out as he turned to look at Draco.

"You mean how you were trying to rape a married woman? But of course! How could I _ever_ remember something like that!" Draco replied with no small amount of sarcasm. He knew he was poking the bull…but he just didn't care at that point. Shane didn't take kindly to his sarcasm, however, and chose to show his displeasure in the only way he knew how.

Faster than a drunk man should, Shane took three large paces before punching Draco right in the jaw. Shane was much stronger than the young wizard and the punch knocked Draco back out of the room and into the wall.

"Stop it Shane! He's a kid!" Lori yelled from inside the room. Shane paid no attention, however, as he stalked towards him. Draco was seriously considering pulling his wand when another voice broke through the confrontation.

"What the bloody fuck is going on here?" Potter all but yelled from the end of the hallway. Harry had been looking for Draco almost everywhere when he happened to turn down that hallway. The rec room was the last place for him to look really. He had expected to find Draco alone. Instead, he sees Draco come stumbling out of a room only to then see Shane stalking up to him with his arm cocked back.

Shane paused when he heard Harry's voice.

"I was just showing Draco here a new move…." Shane said, trailing off his sentence.

"Well next time, how about you don't 'show a new move' to a nineteen year old you piece of shit. Or do you enjoy beating on people younger than you?" Harry demanded, his anger skyrocketing. He may have no love for Draco…but after all he had heard that night….damn it all he felt protective of the git.

"Watch it Harry…you're new here…." Shane warned, slurring his words the entire time.

"And you're drunk. Don't think that changed your disposition any. Go sleep it off or _I_ will show you a 'new move'." Harry stated coldly. Shane stood up straight, glaring at Harry and trying to intimidate him.

Voldemort….duel….enough said.

Shane seemed to deflate slightly when Harry didn't buckle immediately. He turned and wandered off with one last glare at the Last Potter. Once Shane was gone, Harry approached the young wizard.

"Are you alright Draco?"

"I'm fine Potter, I didn't need your help!" Draco quickly informed him. He still had standards after all!

"Of course you didn't. Let's get you back to your room."

"I know the way Potter, I don't need a guide."

"Then we can walk silently together." Harry responded with a small smirk. Draco just huffed before walking off back down the hall and leaving Lori to her own devices.

The walk the two wizards shared was surprising not awkward. The silence between them was almost friendly…at the very least commiserating. When the two reached Draco's room, he gave Harry a stiff 'good night' before slamming his door shut. Harry just let out a sigh as he walked down the hall and entered his room.

As he laid his head down, he couldn't help but think that the world had gotten a whole lot more sad since he had been in a coma. So many people had died….the magical way of life was all but destroyed. Harry closed his eyes. His last thought before sleep finally took him was wondering how he could make Hermione feel better.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Throughout the night, as everyone slept soundly for the first time in months, the clock continued to count down. Inching closer and closer to zero every second on the night.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**False rescue.**

After the fall, Ginny woke up in horrible pain. She cried out only to start coughing as the dust and bits of house flew into her throat. As she looked around she saw that she was in a part of her room, the floor below where she had been standing when the house gave way. She could see the last Harry Potter poster she had hanging up on her wall. She tried to get up only to have pain shoot through her entire being. It was only then that she realized two things. A beam was holding her down at the waist….and she couldn't feel her legs….

She panicked then, screaming her head off while trying to push the large beam off her body. The effort was wasted however as she simply didn't have the strength to push the large piece of wood off of her. She abruptly stopped her screaming when she heard a faint scratching noise. She couldn't quite place what it was…maybe it was a rescue?

"HELP! Please! I'm stuck in here! Can anyone here me? HELP PLEASE!" She yelled as loud as she could. There was no mistaking the sound coming closer to her in the dark.

"Yes ! Yes! I'm here!" She continued to cry out. A few agonizing minutes later and she could hear her rescuer really close.

"I'm right here! You're nearly there!" She called out happily. All at once, a part of debris wall to her front fell forward letting a little light in.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She cried out in happiness. She was saved! When her rescuer moved she was able to see part of his face. She had never seen a more handsome man! Well, at least that was what she thought at the time. He was, after all, rescuing her!

"I'm trapped under this beam and I …I can't feel my legs. Please, we need to find the rest of…" She started to ramble before she stopped suddenly. She had finally gotten to see the man's full face….

Half of it was missing…..

Ginny screamed then, louder than she ever had before. It was a terrified scream. A scream filled with the dread of certain death. The mutilated man made his way toward her, crawling all the way up to her chest. She felt a searing pain lance up from her neck as suddenly as she felt like she was drowning.

Thirty seven seconds later Ginevra Weasley died while being eaten by a muggle in a running suit.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

**A/N **

**Sorry I didn't get this out sooner! I had a whole bunch of things keep interrupting me. Anyway, I hope you all liked it! I tried to balance it out some. I felt real bad when I wrote the Malfoy's death…it just seemed so sad. Then, when I was about to post, I had the sudden flash of how Ginny died…..sorry to anyone who liked her!**

**Anyway, you know the drill. Read and review please! Tell me if you liked it! That is very important to me.**


	9. More Questions from Zone 5 (Arc 1 End)

**A/N**

**Sorry this chapter is out later than normal! This is why I promised two weeks per update at MAX instead of something shorter. Things just get into the way and sometimes you just can't feel the emotion or motivation to write. **

**Anyway, I would like to thank everyone for reviewing! Thanks a whole bunch guys! I appreciate it a great deal.**

**And so beings the final chapter of Season 1!**

I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters… Or any of the Walking Dead characters either… If I had, Carl would not have been shot and Lucius would have had a much bigger role in things, just saying. Shane would still be dead though… Yeah…As a doornail

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

_Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:_

_As he laid his head down, he couldn't help but think that the world had gotten a whole lot more sad since he had been in a coma. So many people had died….the magical way of life was all but destroyed. Harry closed his eyes. His last thought before sleep finally took him was wondering how he could make Hermione feel better._

_Throughout the night, as everyone slept soundly for the first time in months, the clock continued to count down. Inching closer and closer to zero every second on the night._

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry awoke in much the same way he had been the past two weeks. He didn't gradually become aware, slowly moving from sleep to awake. Instead, he was instantly alert, as if a switch were thrown between 'sleep' and 'awake'. He had hoped that, after two or so months after the Battle of Hogwarts, he wouldn't awake in such a…combative manner. Harry could easily track the start of his waking issue right back to the second day of the Horcrux hunt.

It annoyed him to no end that, when he had finally made some progress and had started waking up like a 'normal' person, his Auror training demanded otherwise….joy. And so, Harry resigned himself to always waking up like this, as if a battle were about to commence and he hadn't a second to spare….

The fact that it was an advantage in the current situation galled him to no end.

Harry quickly went about the bare essentials after he woke up. After relieving himself, combing his hair with his hand (a futile effort as always), and checking his wand was in place, he set out to find his friends. Draco held the closest room to his so he made his way there first. His short trip down the hall ended in failure as Draco's door was already open, no occupant inside.

He continued down the hall and to the left, past several open and vacant rooms before coming upon Hermione, Teddy and Andromeda's connected rooms. They too had their doors open. At that point Harry knew he had woken up later than he had expected and that everyone was together. Harry changed his direction then and headed to the 'big room'. The closer he got the more the smell of cooking food increased. He turned the last corner before his destination and ran smack into a firm body.

Neither Shane nor Harry expected the collision and both stumbled backwards slightly, Harry quickly regained his bearings.

"Didn't see you there Harry…" Shane said after a moment of silence.

"I noticed that when I ran into you. Sorry about that." Harry responded with a neutral tone. The young wizard had not forgotten about the incident in the hallway. He could understand wanting to punch a Malfoy….but after the world had ended, and especially after Harry heard Draco's story, he just couldn't shake the feeling of needing to stick together. And why did Shane have scratch marks on his neck?

"No harm done. Look Harry…about last night." Shane began to talk before tapering out at the end. Never mind how lame that sounded….how could he even explain last night. All he knew was that he was happy this new Brit hadn't seen his and Lori's…..altercation. Draco he could deal with…but he didn't know much about this newcomer.

"Look Shane, I don't have any real issue with you. But you were drunk, and I can understand being annoyed at Draco for something. But keep in mind, He's 19 and I am sure he didn't start a physical fight with you. On top of that what are you? 29? Used to be a police officer? Punching him was _not_ the right thing to do. And you should know that." Harry replied, keeping his tone neutral. This was not a discussion he had wanted to have first off in the morning. Doubly so since most everyone would be in a fairly agitated mood, what with being hung over and all.

"You're right Harry… I was outa line last night. Musta been all the time not being able to get a drink. Lost my…uh….tolerance. Yeah that's it," .Shane said, jumping on the opening Harry had given him. Harry just gave him a blank look in return. Talk about lack of personal responsibility.

"Right…just make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm not one to let my friends be punched around, regardless of the circumstances." Harry replied before turning and heading the direction of the central room. Shane walked fast to catch up.

"Friends huh? Didn't think you and Draco were buddies. Not the way you two were acting….." Shane said conversationally, the underlying challenge in his words as apparent as a neon sign to Harry.

"Things change." Harry replied simply.

"They sure do…" Shane responded before the pair entered the well-lit main room. Immediately he could tell the mood was happy, but tense. The tension wasn't due to an argument however, but to the pain everyone was in after their excessive drinking. Harry was glad, once again, that he had never taken up the bottle as easily as the rest of his friends.

He made his way over to sit beside Hermione, with Teddy in her lap, and, by consequence also sitting next to Draco who had once again taken position next to Andromeda. The last Malfoy greeted him with a nod to which Harry returned.

"Hi Haawee!" Teddy burst out excitedly as he sat down beside him.

"Morning Harry." Hermione said at the same time.

"'lo Teddy, Hermione. What's for breakfast?" Harry asked in response, sending her and his godson a small smile. He was happy she was acting more chipper than the other night. A good night's sleep can always do wonders.

"Eggs courtesy of T-Dog." The last Black sister replied around a fork full of food.

"You're looking better Andromeda, and no wheelchair?" Harry asked, pleasantly surprised that his cousin was quickly on the med.

"Yep! Walked here all by myself this morning." She replied happily.

"I halped you too granma!" Teddy voiced indignantly. His displeasure at being left out apparent….and loud. Cringes were seen all around the table.

"Uhhhhgggg" Glenn moaned.

"Shut it brat! Inside voice or whatever is quieter." Draco admonished before picking up a fork full of eggs. Secretly Draco was pleased at the amount of discomfort Teddy had given the hung over group. They deserved it.

"I have a plate for you two right here." T-Dog called out to Harry and Shane. He made his way over and deposited two decently sized plates of food. It wasn't an English breakfast, but it acceptable.

"Don't ever, ever, ever let me drink again…" Glenn slurred out over the pain of his aching head, earning a great deal of snorts and small laughs. Harry smirked along with Draco at the poor young Asian's problem. Unknown to either of them, they both had the same thought about the hangovers from firewhiskey. There wasn't a comparison.

"Do you feel as bad as I do?' Rick called out to Shane. The former police officer busied himself with getting a drink.

"Worse." He replied absent mindedly. His thoughts were focused on Rick's demander. He certainly didn't act like a man whose wife had been assault by his best friend….He was sure Lori or the little twerp would have mentioned something by now.

"Da' hell happened to you?" T-Dog asked after seeing the scratches on Shane's neck. "Your neck man." He said again, pointing for extra measure.

"Dunno. Must have done it in my sleep." Shane replied quickly, taking a seat on the opposite end of the table.

"I never saw you do that before." Rick stated with curiosity. Self-mutilation was certainly not something Rick ever expected Shane to do, consciously or not.

"Me neither. It's just not like me at all." Shane replied before looking over to Lori. Harry thought that action was a little weird…and the way Draco tensed up when the man looked in the woman's direction…..

"I guess we all learn something about ourselves eventually._ Right_ Shane?" Draco asked snidely, a sneer prevalent on his lips. Shane glanced over at the blond wizard before quickly looking back down to his food.

"Enough Draco." Lori said, her tone saying the conversation was finished. Harry watched bemusedly as Draco sneered even more towards the woman before going back to his food. Something was definitely going on…..

Draco for his part was irritated and bewildered with Lori and her actions. He hadn't even taken one step into the room with all the lights and screens before she had come up and drug him off to a secluded place. When she asked him not to talk about what happened he had just stared at her incredulously. How could she even be serious? Sure…Draco considered her a pain in the ass and would never willingly associate with her….but to keep such an event from her husband? And Shane had laid hands on him as well.

Draco lost every shred of respect he had for her in that one moment. Sure, he could understand not wanting to 'upset the group' as she said….but what happened could always happen again. At that point, if it ever came out that he knew, Draco would find himself in a bad situation as well. The nerve of the woman!

In the end he just couldn't stand her bleating-like voice any longer. With a sneer and a coldly delivered 'whatever' he walked off in an act of indifference. He wasn't truly indifferent, however. Oh no…he was pleased. It only took him a few seconds of brooding before he realized that he had perfect blackmail material now….oh how that dumb muggle had messed up. Now he could extort from _both_ parties!

Draco smirked at the possibilities while he continued to eat his food. Let the muggle think she won something.

There was a small period of silence where everyone just concentrated on their meals. Soon enough though, Doctor Jenner made his way into the big room.

"Morning." He said as he walked to the beverage bar,

"Hey Doc." A variety of voices replied.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions the first thing….." Dale started to say.

"But you're going to anyway." Jenner's voice called out, still gravely and deep from sleep.

"We didn't come for the eggs." Andrea stated as a matter of fact. Jenner turned around then and began sipping his coffee, just watching the group. Andrea was about two seconds from making a comment when the doctor spoke up.

"Come to the big screen when you are all done." He said before walking off towards the viewing screen on the wall.

"Can I finish eating Hawwee?" Teddy asked Harry, his eyes big and watery with hope. It was way too early to have to deal with puppydog eyes from his godson. To make matters worse….Teddy _could_ change his eyes to a puppy's! He could never win.

"Yeah, but don't dally." Harry replied before tossing a small smile at Hermione.

"How are you feeling Hermione?" Harry asked before putting another fork full of eggs in his mouth.

"Better Harry, thank you for asking. I wanted to come wake you up for breakfast, but Andromeda convinced me you needed sleep." Hermione relied with a small blush. Harry just waved off her concern.

"Don't worry about it. I did enjoy sleeping in a little." Harry replied, his smile still in place. Hermione smiled back at him before turning her attention back to Teddy to help him with his spoon.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Everyone was soon finished with their meal. They all got up and moved mostly as one towards the wall Dr. Jenner was near. Harry was able to get Teddy away from Hermione and back into his arms right before the lights started to dim.

"Give me the playback of TS-19." Jenner said to the computer.

"Playback of TS-19." VI stated as numbers and pictures started to appear and resize on the massive wall screen.

"Not many ever got a chance to see this….so few…so very few." Dr. Jenner said in a quite voice while gazing up at the screen. Everyone else was gazing up at the screen too. Some in wonder, some in curiosity, and some with irritation.

'_How could that voice _not_ belong to a woman!'_ Draco raged in his head. He believed Potter when he said it was a computer responding and talking…..but that still didn't mean he could wrap his head around the idea.

Soon, the main screen coalesced into a vague outline of a human head with a shiny bright brain. Everyone stood and watched in various amounts of awe. Draco and Teddy both had their gaze locked intently on the screen. Teddy liking the colors and Draco in astonishment that muggles could make such a thing.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked. Draco nearly snorted. But of course it wasn't a brain, the silly child.

"An extraordinary one!" Doctor Jenner replied as he smiled down at the young boy. Draco was flabbergasted.

"Not that it matters in the end….Take is in for EIV."

"Enhanced Internal View." Vi's response echoed through the cavernous space. The screen rotated and zoomed into the segment of the brain while everyone stood and watched. Several seconds later a mass of…what Draco could only described as strings of pulsating light dominated the screen. He wasn't sure what he was looking at so he glanced around curiously. Everyone else seemed to be mesmerized…but not confused. Even Potter. Draco again felt foolish when confronted with his limited knowledge of muggles and their sciences. He really didn't want to ask what it was he was looking at, however.

"What're those lights?" Shane asked. The last Malfoy praised the buffoon in his mind.

_'__At least_ I_ have a reason for being in the dark.'_ He thought maliciously.

"It's a person's life…their experiences, memories. Its _everything_!" Jenner responded with a passion none of them had seen within in the man.

"Somewhere….in all that organic wiring and pulses of light….is you. The thing, the piece that makes you unique from everyone else." The doctor continued as he looked over the group.

"You don't make sense? Ever?" Daryl asked. Draco was grateful he voiced the same question he had in his mind. It felt like the Doctor was just lording his intelligence over everyone….at least Draco thought so.

Harry, Hermione, and Andromeda all knew what the man was talking about. Growing up with, and living in, the muggle world did have a few advantages….all of which was greatly beneficial now. Harry was secretly pleased though that Shane had asked such a dumb question. He really didn't like the man.

"Those are synapses. Electric impulses in the brain that transmit every message. They determine what a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth….to the moment of death." Jenner replied with a powerful tone of voice to hammer the point home.

"Death? So this is a vigil?" Rick asked as he walked around several computer banks to stand next to the Doctor.

"Yes…err well rather a playback of the vigil." Jenner replied quietly, a stark difference from his past few comments.

"So this person…died?" Draco asked out loud

"Who was it?" Andrea asked.

"Test subject 19….someone bitten who elected to let us….record the process from the beginning." Jenner replied, his voice trailing off at the end. Draco felt his respect for the person….whoever it was on the screen (if that could even be believed….muggles…) go up. While he himself would never be as altruistic…he could at least respect the person who sacrificed a quick and easy end to it all so other may learn.

For some reason, Draco was bothered by the idea that he didn't know if he would do the same or not.

"VI. Scan to the first event."

"Scanning to first event." VI's voice boomed out. The picture zoomed out once more, showing the head, face, brain, and upper body of the test subject. Though the brain picture was much, much different. Even Draco could tell what was happening. Whatever _it_ was….had made its way up into the brain and began killing it.

"What is that…" Glenn asked in awe, echoing all the questions in everyone's heads.

"It invades the brain like Meningitis…" Jenner explained. Harry tuned out his lecture though as something caught his eye. He could see a dark…._pulsating _ blackness or something. He could see little tendrils waving, pushing in and retracting all around the spinal cord and dark area of the brain. It was so much…darker and…alive than the other aspects that it almost drew his gaze in. He quickly looked over the rest of the body, finding a large pool of pulsating blackness around the heart area. The dark tendrils were much thicker there, and longer.

"What about those dark tendrils?" Harry asked out loud, not hearing an explanation about them. Jenner looked over at Harry with a questioning glance.

"Those are nerve fibers, dead nerve fibers."

"No…not those. The moving tendrils around the spine and the heart. " Harry responded. Perhaps he hadn't made himself clear enough.

"What are you talking about…." Jenner replied in confusion, studying the image again before looking back to Harry. Now the last Potter was getting a little annoyed…they were _right there_ after all. Harry looked over to Hermione for help, only to be on the receiving end of a strange look.

"There aren't any moving tendrils Harry…." Hermione spoke over Teddy's head. Even Harry's godson was looking at him funny. A quick look at the rest of the group showed they all were looking at him strangely.

"They're right _there_. They're the only things moving!" Harry pointed with his finger, getting irritated at everyone's responses.

"Harry was it? The image is paused…..nothing is moving…" Doctor Jenner replied. Harry was stumped. Even Draco was looking at him like he had lost his mind. His irritation was quickly replaced with confusion. Why couldn't anyone, not even magicals, see what he was talking about?

"Never mind then, musta' just seen….never mind." Harry said, putting a small false smile on his face. Maybe he was just still tired….yeah that had to be it.

"VI…scan forward to the second event." Jenner said out loud after taking one last look at Harry.

"Scanning to Second Event." VI responded.

"The resurrection times vary widely. We had reported of reanimation happening at quickly as three minutes or as long as eight hours." The doctor said as the image fast forwarded on the screen.

"In the case of TS-19 reanimation occurred in two hours….one minute….seven seconds." Doctor Jenner said out loud as he stared at the screen. Everyone was in shock at what they saw. Draco, on the other hand, felt a great deal of apprehension when he saw the once bright brain…_come back to life_ in a morbid way. Hermione held Teddy closer as she watched the dead brain _restart_, at least partially.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked incredulously. Hermione felt the same was she did. This was….not something she ever expected. And to see it, actually _see_ it happen with, what appeared to be one of the most advanced pieces of medical equipment she had ever heard of. She had her theories about what was happening…nothing that was concrete but still….

**"**Only partially. Just the brainstem really. It basically just gets them up and moving." Jenner replied quickly.

Harry once again saw the dark, pulsating…_wrongness._ Only this time, it looked like a writhing mass of tendrils, all moving about looking for…something. The sight made him think back to his encounter with devils snare. He was _sure_ he wasn't seeing things…but no one else made any comment. And Hermione, even she looked at him in concern when he had mentioned it the first time. Harry briefly took his glasses off and rubbed his face.

_'__Maybe I really am just tried…yeah…that's it.'_ Harry thought to himself, the only explanation that seemed likely, deciding not to mention what he saw…again.

"But they're not alive?" Rick asked as he walked closer to the screen. Doctor Jenner looked back before gesturing towards the image.

"You tell me?"

"It isn't like before. Most of that brain is dark…." Rick responded as he thought out loud.

"Dark and dead. The Neocortex? The human part? That doesn't come back. Ever." Jenner said with finality, "All that comes back is a shell driven by base instinct."

The entire group watched the image for a few more seconds before a bright light washed the screen out for a second, a trail leading through the brain appeared a moment later. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed.

"What just happened?" Carol asked. Harry couldn't believe she had asked a question with such an obvious answer.

"He shot his patient. Didn't you?" Andrea asked while she looked intently at the doctor. He didn't respond.

"Vi. Power down the main screen and the workstations."

"Powering down 'main screen' and 'work stations'. " The voice boomed out once more. Draco couldn't get over the fact that the man was actually talking to himself…or so he claimed. Who knew muggles had created something as amazingly intricate as…whatever this VI was? And all without magic….

"You have…have no idea what this is? Do you?" Andrea asked suddenly. Jenner turned back to her and paused a moment before letting the truth out.

"It could be microbial….bacterial…viral…parasitic….fungal…." He listened out.

"Or the Wrath of God?" Jacquie bit out tensely.

"Well there is that…" Jenner replied with a small smile.

"Someone…somebody has to know something! " Hermione burst out, startling Teddy. She quickly hushed him while she looked at the doctor.

"There are others right? Other facilities?" Carol asked hesitantly. She knew, deep down that she wouldn't like the answer.

"There may be some….people like me who didn't leave." Jenner allowed with no small amount of hesitation.

"You don't know? How can't you know?' Rick asked disconcerted. He _had_ to know…this place was where they would get answers!

"Everything just…went down. Communications, directives, it all just shutdown. I've been in the dark for a month now." Jenner replied. Everyone in the group tensed at his statement.

"So it's everywhere then? There is nothing left…nothing at all. That's what you're really saying right?" Andrea asked while she advanced on Jenner. She stopped a few feet away, a passion in her eyes that matched the tone of the voice she had used.

Jenner just looked away, not saying a single thing. In that moment of silence, the unspoken words were ringing loudly in everyone's head. Several people gasped as the full weight of what they had just learned hit them. Harry, who had found his way over to Hermione's side grabbed her hand. He was thankful she squeezed back. Draco and Andromeda, on the other hand, let the grim truth settle around them with no outward signs of distress. They were both Slytherin, after all, and even if they were terrified they would do their best not to show it.

"Man im gunna get shit faced drunk…again." Daryl said morosely. Draco had a thought that Daryl being unconscious would help everyone. HE wouldn't be able to talk and lower everyone's intelligence that way.

"Doctor Jenner…" Dale began, making his way over to the wall holding the clock. "I know this has been a trying time, and an equally trying explanation. And I hate to ask one more question….but that clock has been counting down."

"What happens when it reaches zero?" he asked as he turned back towards the Doctor.

"The… basement generators run out of fuel." Jenner replied before turning and beginning to head off and out of the room.

"And then?" Rick asked the man's retreating back. No response came from the doctor and he was soon out of everyone's view

"VI what happens when the power runs out?" Rick tried. He didn't know if the computer would answer him, but it was worth a shot.

Less than a second later, he felt bad for asking,

"When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur."

Everyone stood still as the announcement washed over them. The silence in the room was deafening.

"What the bloody hell does that mean!?" Draco yelled.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Hermione was in a slight panic and she held Teddy closer to him than was comfortable for the little child. He didn't complain though, picking up on his Auntie's tension. Everyone else had wandered back to their rooms but that wasn't what upset the young witch so much. No…what upset her was that she had just seen Harry run off _again._ This time down into the bowls of the facility with Draco and the other men in tow. She really, _really_ hadn't wanted him to go…but she just couldn't get her voice to work before he disappeared into the depths of the basement.

In fact, if she was honest with herself, she was irritated at Andromeda for forcing her to let Harry sleep. She had wanted to see him…that piece of her life that was still constant. All her actions, all her thoughts and time spent on research had turned into nothing. For one of the few times ever in her life, she was completely at a loss at what to do. After the evacuation of Hogwarts and Ron's death, she spent nearly six months hoping…praying to whatever up there would listen that he was still alive.

She had never felt more useless than that one night with the troll.

And now he was out of her sight again and she hated it. When she had argued with Andromeda, the elder woman had calmly told her that, while she had been alive and fighting for the past eight months, Harry had not. He wasn't in the same mindset she was, he didn't feel like death was around the corner every waking moment, often times following everyone into sleep. He just wasn't thinking in the terms the magical survivors (and muggles) were.

"Hemoonie? Can we plat wit tha blocks again?" Teddy asked, bringing her back to the here and now. Hermione was thankful in so many ways for Teddy. He was always an easy way to lift her spirits and take her mind off things.

"Not right now sweetie. But maybe soon." She replied, bouncing Teddy a little bit,

"Awwwww." He whined.

Teddy passed the time playing with her hair while she and Andromeda sat in basic silence. Both were deep in thought about all the implications, first and foremost being the 'decontamination' that was going to occur soon.

Several minutes after the men left, the lights flickered down low.

"Emergency Lights Activated." VI informed everyone. Hermione frowned as she looked at the clock. Only thirty-three minutes remained, and they were steadily ticking down. The tense feeling in her stomach was getting more and more pronounced.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Harry, Draco, T-dog, Shane, Glenn, and Rick all made their way back upstairs after failing to find a way to refuel the generator. On their way back to the big room, they ran into Doctor Jenner descending some stairs.

"What's going on Doc?" Shane asked only for the doctor to breeze right past him. Everyone exchanged a questioning glance before the small group took off after the Doctor. They soon were walking down the hallway where most people slept. Several people were already out of their rooms and milling about looking for answers.

"Hey why's everything off?" Daryl asked as he poked his head out of his door. Jenner reached down and grabbed the bottle from Daryl's hand before taking a long swig as he kept walking. Soon, everyone not already in the room was following the doctor like a trail of ducklings.

"Energy use is being prioritized." He said as he kept walking.

"Air isn't a priority?" Dale asked in a joking manner. "What about lights?"

"It's not up to me." Jenner said simply as he walked past Dale without even looking at him.

"Zone five is shutting itself down." Jenner stated as he walked around a corner.

"What? The building? How can the building do anything?" Draco asked confused. Clearly the man was….something. Talking disembodied voices was one thing….but a thinking building? Not without magic, silly muggle.

"You'd be surprised." Doctor Jenner replied offhandedly. Eventually, the group made it into the big room.

"What is going on Jenner?" Rick growled out.

"Power is being conserved….it's a protocol designed to keep the computers running until the last possible second. And it's right on time for the thirty minute mark." Jenner responded while gesturing to the clock on the wall.

"Harry!" Hermione called out. The young wizard moved quickly to her and Andromeda's side, Draco following soon after. The entire group extruded confusion as they all followed the last doctor up into the center of the room. Jenner paused at the first step for a moment before turning and handing the bottle of alcohol back to Daryl.

"It was the French you know." He stated as he walked over to a bank of computers.

"While we were all running or killing ourselves, the French stayed and worked on the problem. They thought they were close to a solution."

"What happened?" Jacquie asked.

"No power. Just like here. No electrical grids to keep the facility running." Jenner replied. He turned back to the bank of computers before pausing and turning to look at the group once more.

"The world ran on fossil fuels! A thing that took millions of years to produce. We had a finite amount and acted as if it was infinite! How stupid is that?"

"Let me tell you something…" Shane started to growl before Rick stopped him.

"I don't care! Lori! Get the stuff, we are getting out of here NOW!. Go! Now!" Rick commanded. As soon as the words left Rick's mouth, a loud alarm started to blare, scaring everyone present. Draco would never admit to it…but he jumped along with everyone else.

"Warning. Thirty Minutes until Decontamination." VI warned over the speakers.

Everyone stood in silence for a moment before panic started to set in.

"Alright everyone, you heard Rick! Get your stuff and let's go." Shane yelled out. Hermione passed Teddy off to Andromeda so she could help. She was the quicker of the two seeing as the older witch hadn't completely recovered from their ordeal. Hermione was quickly organizing things in her head, making plans on what items to get first, what could be left, what needed to be taken etcetera. All the instant planning was for naught, however, as a large shutter fell over the only exit. Everyone stared at it in shock.

"Did you just lock us in?" Glenn yelled out in a panic, "HE JUST LOCKED US IN!"

"Bloody hell! What the hell are you doing!?" Draco yelled, irate. Oh how he _longed _to use his wand….

Jenner didn't respond.

The group moved towards the center of the room, keeping a sizable distance between all members in case they needed the room to run. It was a tactic used for dealing with both walkers and raiders. The idea was, not all of them would die if they had clear avenues to bolt.

"You son of a bitch! You locked us in here!" Daryl yelled as he scrambled to grab the doctor. Shane and T-Dog pulled the irate man off the doctor quickly as Rick fast walked down the ramp to confront Jenner.

"Jenner, open that door now!" Rick ordered the man point blank.

"There's no point! Everything topside is locked down. I told you; once that door closed it wouldn't open again. I told you that." Jenner replied immediately.

"What happens in twenty-eight minutes Jenner? What happens at zero?" Rick changed to a question. He had to know how bad it was….how hard he had to try to escape right that moment. Jenner, however was proving uncooperative and didn't respond. A simple look and nod at Shane caused the other man to violently kick the console next to the doctor, startling him.

"What happens in…." Rick started before he was violently cut off.

"Do you _KNOW_ what this place _IS?_ What we did here!? We stood guard against things you would never be able to see! Protected the world from very…NASTY…..STUFF!" Jenner roared as he jumped up from his seat. The passion and anger in his voice was not something Draco, or Harry had expected to hear.

"Weponized Smallpox! Ebola strains that could WIPE OUT HALF THE COUNTRY! THINGS YOU DON'T WANT GETTING OUT….EVER!" The man continued to yell. Hermione had discreetly palmed her wand when the man started yelling. Everyone was shocked at his display, even Shane had his mouth hanging open. Draco was mildly impressed however. The man had kept such a cool exterior that he hadn't thought he would ever have hot anger to throw around. Very cunning….

Soon after his rant, Jenner calmed down and once again at in one of the workstation chairs.

"In the event of a catastrophic power loss, a terrorist attack for example, HITs are deployed to make sure nothing escapes the building." Jenner explained in an eerily calm voice. Harry thought the man could be bipolar at this point.

"HITs? You can't mean…you don't…." Hermione stuttered out her question, paling considerably and placing a hand over her mouth. Even Draco was worried at that point. If something, after everything that had happened to them the past few months, could scare Granger this bad….

"VI…define." Jenner stated calmly.

"HITs, high impulse thermobaric fuel/air explosives consist of a two stage aerosol ignition that, when ignited, produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum pressure ignites the oxygen in the affected area between five thousand and six thousand degrees. It is effective when the most structure damage and greatest loss of life is desired." Vi explained, though many wish it hadn't.

"It sets the air on fire." Jenner said quietly, causing Carol to burst into tears. Rick moved over immediately to hug his family close. How could he have been so wrong?

"Potter, what does all that mean?" Draco asked Harry quietly. He was sure he didn't want to know…..but he really didn't want to be in the dark about this.

"Think…err think fiendfire Draco. Fiendfire through the entire building, all in an instant, at its hottest tempature." Harry replied, trying to think of an accurate magial alternative.

"You are not funny Potter….tell me you are trying to be funny…."

"Sorry Draco. The muggle militaries uses it when they want nothing to be left standing." Harry responded quickly

"No pain…an end to sorrow...grief….regret….everything" the doctor continued talking to himself. Harry looked over to his terrified friend. She was pale and shaking; Andromeda was hanging onto Teddy like her life depended on it. Draco, Harry could see, held Teddy's hand tightly. The young boy, still confused about what was going on, knew something was really really wrong, so he didn't complain about Da'goon holding his little hand so tight. Maybe he could get a sweet out of him later.

Harry didn't know what was running through the young Malfoy's mind. But one thing was for sure. Whatever it was had taken his full concentration as the other wizard just starred off into space. Harry didn't have time to do that though, he needed to find a way out.

Draco, meanwhile, was caught up in the memory of his fight with Harry in the Room of Requirement. The fiendfire that had killed one of his friends. The memory flooded Draco's senses and he could think of nothing else than the fear he had as he hung there on a stack of rubbish waiting to burn to death.

"Shit!" Shane yelled as everyone began to breakdown into despair. He frantically began looking for something to open the door with.

"Over here!" Daryl yelled as he hefted two fire axes he had found. Shane quickly grabbed one and the two set out and attacked the door. Harry and Glenn followed them over and watched as desperation and adrenalin fueled their strikes, but to no avail.

Shane turned away from his futile actions against the door and ran back down the ramp towards the doctor, Daryl close behind. Glenn stayed put, looking at the closed door in desperation. They were trapped and he couldn't do anything! He sure as hell wasn't as physically strong as Shane, so what could he even hope to accomplish? It was again, one of those times that the young Asian felt completely and totally useless. When Harry approached the door he didn't pay him hardly any attention to him, such was his introspection.

Harry knew they didn't have much time. The clock on the wall was steadily counting down and nothing would stop it. Throwing caution to the wind, he whipped out his wand and, to Glenn's amazement, shot a white light out of the tip.

"Alohomora!" Harry said, pointing his wand at the security shutter. He was shocked when the spell just, disintegrated as it touched the shutter. Harry cast it again, putting more power into the spell, causing it to increase in brightness and speed. The unlocking spell hit the shutter with an audible whoomp but had otherwise no effect. Harry had no idea what was going on. He put enough power into that spell to override an Auror prison cell door. How was this shutter not open yet? Maybe it didn't work on this type of door.

Harry was getting desperate, so he focused his as much of his will as he could muster before casting a massively overpowered **Bombarda Maxima**. The result from the spell was a slightly louder dull thumping sound. Harry just wished that no one wondered what the sudden lightshow was about.

"What was that Harry? " Glenn asked from the side. Harry cursed the Asian's curiosity.

"Nothing Glenn, never mind. " Harry responded, hoping to be dismissive enough to curb Glenn's questions.

"That wasn't nothing Harry! What were you doing?" Glenn persisted. He may not know _what_ Harry had been doing, but he was sure it was something other than 'nothing'.

Harry, on the other hand, sighed in frustration. _'We don't have time for this!'_ He thought.

"Look Glenn, we are all going to _die_ if this door does not open. So forget about what you saw, I will talk to you later about it." Harry bit out, perhaps more harshly than he intended, if the hurt look on Glenn's face was any indication. He would apologize later, but for now, he needed to figure out how to get them all out. Maybe apparition? Harry grimaced at the thought. That would be an absolutely _last_ resort. He needed to talk to Hermione, she might have an idea.

Turning, Harry was about to start running back down the ramp before he looked over at Glenn again. "

"Don't tell anyone what you saw, I'll talk to you about it later. Trust me please." Harry asked before sprinting back down to the center of the room, leaving Glenn behind to stew in his curiosity.

"Open it up man! Open it up or I'll kill you!" Shane bellowed, pointing his shotgun right in Jenner's face. For the most part, the good doctor looked very unconcerned. Harry approached the screaming, crying group just as Rick intervened against Shane. Rick looked like he was talking Shane down, only for the irate former officer to unload several rounds into the closest computer terminal, the deafening report of the shotgun echoing through the room over and over again. Rick began fighting Shane for the shotgun at that point.

While Rick was dealing with Shane, Harry quickly told Hermione what had happened.

"Hermione I tried…to _unlock_ the door and couldn't! " Harry explained to his friend in code, stressing his words to make her understand. She looked confused for a moment before her mouth dropped open slightly. For a brief second, Harry thought she looked rather cute, all shocked like that. His musing was quickly chased away as he remembered the dire situation they were in.

"What happened? How did it not work?" She questioned in bewilderment. If Harry, who was vastly more powerful than she was, couldn't get the door open with the unlocking spell…how could she? The pit of her stomach started to go cold.

"I don't know! I ca…_sent_ it at the door and it just…it was like I hadn't even done anything. I even tried…the _explosive_ and nothing happened!" Harry replied in a mild panic. Either way, the situation was grim. Either they wouldn't be able to get out or they _would…._but only through apparition. Harry was _not_ keen on exposing what the four of them (five with Teddy) could do. Speaking of Teddy, Harry looked over then to where he had taken up post hanging onto Lori's leg. Carl was hanging on to her other one, both looking as terrified as possible. He looked for Andromeda then, finding her hugging Draco fiercely while the young Malfoy just stared blankly ahead. Oh how Harry wished he could go over and promise everything would be ok to his godson, but he had….he just had a duty to try and get these people out! Harry cursed his saving people thing once more. Life would be so simple if he just worried about himself and his. Regardless, he would get Teddy out even if it was the last thing he did! Him, Hermione, Andromeda and Draco…

"How is that possible? How much did you overpower it?"

"At least _three_ times normal. All it did was make a sound."

"That doesn't make any sense! How could a normal shutter repel power of that magnitude!?" Hermione asked mostly to herself. She had said it out loud, however, loud enough to capture Dr. Jenner's attention.

"It won't work, what you're planning." Jenner said, looking at Harry and Hermione. Harry felt the blood freeze in his veins. Was the doctor saying what he thought he was saying?

"What do you mean? We aren't doing anything but trying to open the door _you_ closed." She replied coolly, spitting out the 'you', walking closer to him, putting her hands on her hips in displeasure. The doctor just smiled slightly up at her in response.

"I wasn't sure, not at first. The blood test could have been wrong. But when I saw those lights he made. I know now…I _know_." The doctor replied, stressing his knowing. If Harry's blood was frozen before, it was positively solid as granite now. He had felt Hermione stiffen beside him and he had known then. The doctor was talking about _exactly_ what Harry feared he was.

"How?" He whispered, barely able to speak past his shock. Hermione quickly used her palmed wand to cast silent muffliato charm when the man started to speak.

"The CDC was the most important government entity these past few months. We got _a lot_ of classified information we normally wouldn't have had." The doctor explained in a quiet voice only the three of them could hear. Hermione thought that was something at least, the man couldn't have known the others were unable to hear them. He wasn't trying outing them in front of everyone, for which she was grateful.

"You mean your government knew?" Hermione asked with a frown. This seemed like a massive breach of the Secrecy Statute….Jenner just scoffed lightly.

"Of course the government knew. Unlike over there, where your world and ours is highly separate, no information shared between the two governments, we didn't do that. The President of the Unified American Ministry was in constant contact with any number of United States Presidents. To think, all that wisdom and knowledge you English wasted! You people live for hundreds of years! Why _wouldn't _the head of the most powerful nation in the world want to have a man as an advisor that had been alive _for centuries_?" Dr. Jenner asked rhetorically.

"How does that have anything to do with our spells failing to open your bloody damn door?" Harry hissed out. His frozen blood had turned to a boiling fury the more the man spoke. He was keeping people trapped, imprisoned to _die_ and he had the gall to complain about how the British did things?

"As with all of our allies, the US knew of your capabilities and built in…safeguards to protect itself against a magical assault." Jenner lectured.

"Nothing modern can function around magic! Electricity and Magic just can't coexist. Our spell should have been able to open that door….." Hermione refuted, trailing off as she thought of something.

"Unless…it's not a normal door…." Dr. Jenner nodded once, a small smile playing on his face.

"You were mostly correct when you said nothing modern can work _with_ magic, as it all runs on electricity. The irony is, however, we had to go back five hundred years to find our protection. Cold Iron, iron formed and treated in such a way it became resistant to magic. The formula was thought lost until an expedition into the Amazon stumbled across an ancient battle sight between magicals and mundanes. The whole site was scrutinized heavily and, eventually, it was noticed that the iron used in the armor had unusual properties. The practices were reverse engineered. By applying production techniques learned over the years we were able to create a Cold Iron mesh that was nearly three times as resistant as was produced all those years ago."

"Now, all it takes is a small application of Cold Iron mesh and everything, even electricity, is insulated from magic. All government facilities were retrofitted. That door can withstand rocket, tank, and terrorist attacks. But sandwiched in-between the titanium and carbon steel, is an inch thick layer of Cold Iron mesh. You could have a ten thousand magicals firing every spell at it they could, and all it would do is heat up and be warm to the touch. This whole facility is protected in the same way."

"But…how…there is no information about this anywhere!" Hermione cried in shock.

"Of course not. When people live hundreds of years….they have long memories." Jenner explained in a soft voice, "Everyone made sure that the whole thing was kept secret. You do understand that many of the American witches and wizards had parents who fought in the revolutionary war don't you? Their issues and anger towards the British throne and the British Ministry survived on in their children. Your recent terrorist problems and constant disregard for non-human magical creatures didn't do you any favors either. Everyone over the years, magical and mundane alike, made _sure_ that the English would never again be a threat to the country. Even the Civil War, which also had its magical equivalent, couldn't shake that core idea!"

Harry and Hermione stood in astonishment at the man's explanation and history lesson. It all made sense, in a roundabout way. But still….how had the British Ministry missed such a…a blending of magical and muggle worlds? The magical government and the muggle government of America had been working hand in hand for _hundreds_ of years! Had they really been _that_ backwards? All at once, the full ramifications of what the doctor had said hit Harry.

"Hermione…we can't apparate out!" Harry cried in a panic. That was his only backup plan! If the choice had been between saving Teddy and Hermione or the group….well it wouldn't even be a contest! With apparition, he could have waited until the last second, trying anything and everything he could think of to get everyone out. Now…_now_ he was stuck in this death trap like the rest of them.

Harry had never been more scared in his life. His entire family was here! Even Draco was somewhat of a companion. They were all going to die….

The two magicals attention was drawn to Rick as he finally got the gun away from Shane. Hermione's concentration was broken and the spell quickly fell apart.

"Are you done now? Or are you done?" Rick growled out.

"Looks like we're all done." Shane responded immediately. Rick had nothing he could say to that, so he just looked at his partner for a long second before moving back and taking a look around. All he could see the terrified faces of everyone around him. The look on his wife and son's face cut him to his core.

"You should have just left well enough alone. It would have been so much easier if you did." Jenner said to the assembled group.

"Easier for who?" Lori spit out as she held the two children attached to her legs close.

"For you…wouldn't it have been better not knowing? You could hold your family close and just….let the clock run out. If you hadn't known you would have gone about the day…and your end would have been quick and painless."

"This isn't what we want! Not at all!" Rick yelled back at the calm doctor.

"But it is…it _is _what you want. You said last night that it was only a matter of time before everyone you loved died…isn't this easier than the brutal death that waits for them outside?" Jenner asked with a perplexed look on his face. No one, not a single person had expected to be shocked even more than they had been. Now they knew better.

"Come on, you didn't really say that did you? Not after your big talk?" Shane asked as he glared at Rick. Lori looked at Rick with just as much shock as everyone else. Rick looked like a deer caught in headlights for a second before he turned to his wife.

"I had to keep our hope alive. I had too! We had to move forward! If we didn't have something to aim for we would have just…just sat down and died!" Rick tried to defend himself. He didn't know how well he did. The way Lori was looking at him he didn't think he was too successful in his defense. Rick looked around hoping to find someone who understood…someone who could see where he was coming from…but he found nothing. When he looked towards Harry, gripping Hermione tight, however, he saw the only person who understood. How couldn't Harry understand keeping hope alive? That was the only reason he had willing gone to his death, the hope his friends would actually have a fighting chance his only fuel in those last desperate moments. Draco had enough however. He wouldn't let some _muggle_ keep him here. He turned then to Harry and Hermione.

"We can get out of here Potter. Let's just do it."

"No…we can't Draco."

"What are you talking about?" Carol asked between sniffs.

"We can app…"

"NO Draco…we can't! It's _impossible_ here. Like at school!" Harry quickly replied, shutting down the last Malfoy before he could reveal anything. He thought he had come up with a good way to impress upon him the seriousness of the situation on the fly.

"What? Really? Never mind, there are other ways Potter. I'll _make_ you open those doors." Draco said, turning towards the muggle doctor and narrowing his eyes.

"If you are talking about what I think you are talking about, Draco. As soon as VI hears those words, everyone who was in the room those words are spoken has their security privileges revoked instantly. There would be no chance of opening them then." Jenner replied calmly. This new information tracked with what he had explained just a second ago….but they were still startled by the information. To think both magical and muggle American's worked together to such a degree, that such protections were in place….

"You can't be telling the truth."

"Believe me Draco, its most likely true." Harry responded to the question, even though I wasn't aimed at him.

"How can you know that!"

"Just believe them Draco! " Andromeda snapped off to the side. She was nearing the end of her rope and was quickly devolving into panic. Harry and Hermione, meanwhile, racked their brains for any way out of the situation. The only thing Harry could come up with was a shield charm….but he definitely was not confident in his power to keep everyone protected. He couldn't even guarantee he could protect Teddy or Hermione, much less everyone else. The silence in the room was only broken by the light sobs coming from Carol, Sophia and Carl.

"I think you're lying…." Rick started slowly, breaking the silence and swinging his gaze around to focus back on Jenner.

"What?" The doctor asked, more curious than irritated.

"About hope…there has to be some. You stayed after all."

"I just kept working"

"No, I don't believe that. There had to be more. Why didn't you run like the rest?"

"I made a promise….to her….my wife." Jenner spoke as he stood up, pointing at big screen they had all watched the infection progress.

"TS-19 was your wife?" Andrea asked in surprise. That wasn't something she saw coming, no one did.

"It should have been me up there….I wouldn't have mattered. She was a loss to the world! Hell she ran this damn place. I was just a functionary! She could have done something about all this…..not me."

" But that's all we want. A chance, a choice." Rick replied seriously. He _had _to make Jenner understand…everyone, his family depended on it! Everyone held their breath as Jenner and Rick stared one another down, waiting for the man's decision. Jenner held Rick's gaze for a moment before coming to a decision. Rick was about to continue pressing when the doctor started talking.

"There's nothing I can do about the upper doors. " He said before hunching over his keypad and typing in several numbers. The security shutter rolled up with a grating sound, revealing the hallway that lead to the stairs up to the surface.

"There's your chance….go take it."

"Lets go!" Daryl said as he grabbed his rucksack and started down the hallway. Everyone scrambled to move out of the room. Harry looked quickly to Draco and Andromeda, giving them a nod to get moving. There were only minutes left before the clock ran out of time. Andromeda grabbed Teddy as she moved past Lori and the three magicals made their way to freedom. Harry heard his godson yelling for him all the way until he was out of sight.

"Get going Hermione, I have to ask Jenner a question."

"I'm staying with you Harry. I'm not letting you out of my sight again!" Hermione replied with finality. Harry didn't argue the point. He had seen that look in her eye many a time during their adventures together. He knew when he wouldn't win the argument.

"I'm grateful." Rick said to Jenner with sincerity while holding out his hand.

"There will come a time where you won't be…." The doctor replied ominously before shaking Rick's hand. He leaned in to whisper then, something Harry couldn't make out. Rick looked like someone had punched him before he quickly looked over at Harry.

"COME ON RICK!" Lori yelled from down the hall. Rick didn't take his eyes off of the young wizard as stumbled towards his wife, his footing slipping due to his distraction. It was then, when Rick had turned and run down the hallway that Jenner turned back to the pair of magicals.

"It was the Delacours that were left in France. "

"Uhhh what?" Harry asked intelligently. He was caught flatfooted by the man's statement.

"Fleur was there?"

"Monsieur Delacour was working with the French scientists at Zone 15. They thought they had a solution before…they were ended." The man said as he walked over to one of the many computer terminals. Harry and Hermione followed him over silently.

"What happened to them? Are they still alive?" Harry asked, his voice thick with emotion.

"There was….a malfunction, a breach in the middle of the night. The HITs went off while everyone was sleeping, or so the last logs showed. I'm sorry." Jenner let the bad news flow out of him as he worked quickly at the terminal. Rick had sense left, leaving only Jacquie, Andrea, and Dale.

"This is the last thing sent to me by Zone 15. I would have given it to you sooner….so many things could have been different. I didn't know until now, not until Draco called you Potter, that I realized who you actually were." Jenner replied with a small, sad smile. He held a thumb drive clenched tightly in his hand.

"You know about Harry?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Yes….I read a lot about in my…down time. This was meant for you Harry." Jenner replied, holding out the thumb drive in his hand. Harry took the drive almost reverently.

"Now go…you need to go. This is your last chance." The doctor said. Harry nodded, pocketing the drive and grabbing Hermione, pulling her away. The young witch quickly recovered from yet another shock and began following Harry willingly. They quickly passed Dale and Andrea, both of whom were sitting, waiting for the end. At the cusp of entering the hallway they heard the woman scream out.

"FINE! You win Dale! But I won't forget this!" Andrea yelled before she sprung up and ran to towards the hallway, the older man in hot pursuit. In turning around, both Harry and Hermione saw Jacquie still there, standing next to Jenner. When she noticed them looking at her with wide eyes she gave them a wide smile.

"I'm going to be with my family. Tell Teddy I'm sorry please." She called out to the young pair.

"We will. " Hermione replied with tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you for your help with him Jacquie. I hope you find peace." Harry replied with a nod before tugging Hermione back into action. With on last glance back, Hermione let lose a small sob before turning and running with all her strength.

With Harry and Hermione's departure, Jacquie was alone with the doctor. She looked down the hallway for a moment before she turned around looking for chairs. She went for the two closest ones she could find.

"They would make a nice couple, don't you think Doctor Jenner?" Jacquie asked as she pulled two chairs over, one for her and one for the doctor.

"More than that…they will save the world. And call me Edwin." Jenner replied as he fell into his chair for the last time. Jacquie looked over in surprise at the man's statement.

"You think they can do that? They are so young…."

"I think…they were the only ones who ever could." Edwin replied. He grasped her hand then as the clock continued to countdown.

When the red lights changed to show nothing but zero's up on the clock Edwin and Jacqui saw a light so bright they felt it. A moment…or an eternity later, both were sitting with their respective families once more.

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"Harry! We're not going to make it…" Hermione cried out as they reached the stairs. They were six stories underground and they only had seconds left.

_'__Just gotta try it.'_ Harry thought with conviction.

"Hold onto me Hermione. I am going to try apperating."

"No Harry! We can't! You heard Jenner, the place is shielded!" Hermione yelled back, terror creeping into her voice. She couldn't climb all those stairs fast enough…but maybe Harry could.

"Just….just go Harry. You can probably make it to the top in time." Hermione demanded, her tone firm.

"No! Absolutely not! Never in a million years!" Harry cried out indignantly. Who did she think he was? To leave a friend like that….even if it meant his death, he would stay with her.

"Just grab on!" Harry demanded harshly.

"But Harry…" Hermione tried again, hoping he would listen. He had to survive…that was all that mattered to her right now.

"NO!" Harry bellowed out before grabbing and holding her close. He immediately tried to apparate to the outside but his magic resisted. It wouldn't let him travel, the protections on the outside wall were too thick. Desperately, Harry poured all his will and power he could muster into the spell once more, hoping to break through.

As the clock hit five seconds, Harry and Hermione felt the familiar feeling of being squeezed through a hose before they landed in a heap at the entryway of the building with a loud crack. Harry wasted no time in jumping up and pulling Hermione along with him. He would drag her out if he had to! The young witch's feet gained purchase on the ground in time for her to run, following Harry.

"Here! The window!" The green eyed wizard yelled, dashing towards and through the blown out window. He looked to his side only to feel relief course through him as she saw Hermione keeping pace with him, if only barely.

_'__Her legs must be really toned…'_ He thought absently.

"Get DOWN! GET DOWN NOW!" Someone yelled from their parked vehicles. Harry followed the shouted order straightaway, turning and throwing himself over Hermione just in time for the explosion.

The resulting self-destruct of the CDC left both magicals slightly singed, coughing, and had their ears ringing. Hermione quickly took stock of herself. When she was satisfied she had not been wounded, she looked over Harry for any obvious injuries. The young wizard was doing the exact same thing, but in reverse. Once he had seen Hermione had no viewable injuries he checked himself over.

"Walkers are coming! They must have heard it across the whole city! GET IN GUYS!" Andromeda yelled from the camper window. Harry was only able to understand half of what she said over the ringing in his ears.

"Come on Hermione, let's get out of here." He said to her with a playfully crooked smile. He was exhilarated! He knew his adrenalin was pumping madly. They had lived! They hadn't been hurt! Those were truly things to be thankful for.

"Good idea." She replied as her heart beat a little faster.

_'__What was that look for…'_ Hermione thought in wonder.

Harry got to his feet before reaching down and helping Hermione up. Once they were both mobile again they quickly made their way to the camper. They could see walkers ambling towards them as they ran. Right as they got up to the camper's door it burst open, revealing Teddy standing in the way.

"Didja see? Didja see? It was a big...BOOOOMMMM!" Teddy yelled out in excitement and throwing his hands up when he saw Harry. The boy let out an indignant squawk when, instead of answering, Harry picked him up and moved inside, placing several kisses on his head as he went.

"Ewwww! NO KISSY THE HAIR! NO KISSY THE HAIR!" Teddy cried out as Harry continued his assault. Andromeda let out a small laugh at the two's antics while Hermione just looked them over with a smile.

The camper lurched suddenly, sending Hermione careening into Harry's lap with Teddy. The pair was still shocked still for a moment before Harry looked at his godson out of the corner of his eye, a devilish smile on his lips. She knew she was in trouble when she saw the same look returned by the boy.

As one, both Teddy and Harry began kissing Hermione's hair. Hermione squealed in mock protest, earning throaty gawfs from Harry and high-pitched laughter from Teddy. She may have even heard a snort from Draco's direction…but she couldn't swear to it.

As the adrenalin high subsided, the group in the camper mellowed out significantly as the weight of the situation fell back upon the adults' minds. Still, Hermione had found that she needed to look on the brighter side of things ever since the world died and reanimated or else she would go crazy.

They were alive, for the most part. They had only lost one member….but they had gained Harry. The CDC was not what anyone had hoped….and the situation seemed even grimmer than before.

But….as the camper followed the small convoy of vehicles away from the burning wreckage of the CDC…Hermione couldn't have been happier.

Posted: 12-15-2014

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**A/N**

**Well here it is guys! The end of season one! I hope you liked it. I am super sorry that it took so long to get out. I had so many things happen and pop up that I had to get done that writing was just not a possibility. I actually finished this chapter in the doctor's office waiting for my mother to finish up. And it was good news too, no cancer! So happy with that.**

**Anyway, the end of the first season! WOW! I can't believe it's here already. I hope you all liked the buildup thus far! I am going to be following closely, but not TOO closely, season two of the Walking Dead. I have plenty of twists and turns for you all, don't worry!**

**I am not sure about something though. Should I have this story be just the first season and ended it here, then make another story for the next seasons? So like, Death, Decay and Diffindo Season 1, 2 , 3 etc? Give me a heads up on what you decide!**

**I want to now thanks all my readers that have been with me and read the story. I am so glad it has been a good source of entertainment for you! And to all my reviewers, favoriteers, and followers, I thank you too. It pleases me that people are reading and liking the story enough to suffer through email updates and such. I hope you all enjoyed reading this season as much as I did writing it.**

**Also, A special shout out to several people. **

**rocknrollprincess131 **

**AnarchicMuse**

**chocolatecheesecakes**

**GaleSynch**

**uoduck**

**girl-at-home13**

**Everyone of these people have helped me along the way with this story, in one way or another. Please, take a minute to search for them and take a look at their stories. They are all great writers and I am very appreciative of the help they have given me.**

**Please take a second to review if you feel like it. And remember, if you have any concerns, questions, or comments you want me to respond to directly, send me a pm or message me on kik!**

**Toodles for now! I plan on getting the next season started really quickly. **


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